The Secret of Hogwarts
by CL.Lockhart
Summary: Sequel to The Two Mysterious Sisters: Lena and Calla are joined with their siblings in another exciting year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They join the trio only to find secrets that unveil a dangerous past of the school. **The Harry Potter Series belongs to J.K. Rowling. We only own Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie.**
1. Chapter 1

THE SECRET OF HOGWARTS

Chapter 1:

The summer of Lena and Calla's first year after Hogwarts was lovely. Spending time with their family in their little London cottage without magic was a little worse for wear with the girls, but they dealt with it because they did not want to get in trouble. Ron and Hermione had already written to them within the first week of the holiday, and so did Fred and George, insisting on coming ASAP. The only one who hadn't written was Harry, which worried the girls slightly, so they tried writing to him once. No reply came. This only lengthened the girls' worry.

For Evie and Ethan's sake, they tried to ignore the fact that their friend was being silent the whole summer. Evie and Ethan were very excited this summer, because mum and dad had decided to let them go to Hogwarts and sent Merlin to Professor Dumbledore letting him know this. They got word back the week later with the 'okay'. Questions sprung from the little siblings. 'What is it like at Hogwarts?' Ethan had asked as soon as they got Dumbledore's reply. To which, the girls said simply: 'It's really fun! You'll enjoy your time there!'

While the girls spent their summer at home, Harry Potter was at his aunt and uncle's house on Number Four, Privet Drive. The Dursleys pretended that Harry wasn't living in their house for most of the time he was there, the only thing he was useful for in their mind was making breakfast and cleaning. A fight had broken out over the household, about Harry's restless owl, Hedwig, making so much noise in her cage, waking Uncle Vernon up.

"She's _bored,"_ Harry explained anxiously. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out -"

"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy moustache. "I know what'll happen if that owl's let out."

He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia.

Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned out by the loud, long belch from his ungrateful cousin Dudley.

After a few moments of calm conversation between Vernon and Petunia with their son, Harry then got in trouble just by saying the word, 'magic'. He was mistreated in this rather muggle home, because he was abnormal to his aunt and uncle. He was a wizard, they weren't.

Harry missed Hogwarts so much, it was like having a constant stomachache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes (though perhaps not Snape, the Potions master), the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks).

Uncle Vernon was going on about some meeting with some important clients for his job. "I think we should go through the schedule one more time," he said. "We should all be in position by eight o'clock. Petunia, you will be -?"

"In the lounge," said Aunt Petunia promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."

"Good, good. And Dudley?"

"I'll be waiting to open the door, Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coat, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"

"They'll _love_ him!" cried Aunt Petunia rapturously.

"Excellent, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded on Harry. "And _you?"_

"I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not here," said Harry tonelessly.

"Exactly," said Uncle Vernon nastily. "I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, and pour them drinks. At eight-fifteen-"

"I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Petunia.

"And, Dudley, you will say -"

"May I take you through to the dining room, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman.

"My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Petunia.

"And _you?"_ said Uncle Vernon viciously to Harry.

"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry dully.

Harry spent the night in his bedroom, as he was told to do, silently. He was miserable. It was his birthday, and he was in the mindset that none of his friends had written to him at all this summer. None of them wished them a happy birthday. There were no card, no presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his best friends, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Lena and Calla Lockhart. They however, didn't seem to be missing him at all. He was very surprised to not find an owl with a letter from Ron inviting him to stay at his house.

Little did he know, miles away, his friends were worried sick about him. They missed him too. They all wanted to hear from him. There was a force that was preventing him from receiving any of the letters that they'd sent him, all the presents, the cards wrapped in packages. Even some homemade fudge from Mrs. Weasley.

When Harry had gone downstairs for the sped up dinner he was able to eat before the Mason's got to the house, a little house-elf was jumping on his bed.

He went up the stairs, got a scolding from Uncle Vernon about not making a peep when the Mason's arrived, he opened his door to find a creature on his bed. It took a lot for him to keep from shouting. The little creature had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that very morning. As they stared at each other, harry heard Dudley's voice from the hall.

"May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"

The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet. Harry noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes.

They exchange greetings. The small creature introducing himself as Dobby the house-elf. Aunt Petunia's high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head. Harry asked why the elf was in his bedroom. Dobby burst into tears when Harry offered him to sit.

Throughout this ordeal, Harry learned many things, got into trouble for noise from Uncle Vernon once, and had to stuff a house-elf into his wardrobe. Harry learned that Dobby had been the one stopping his friends' letters from turning up, saying that it was for Harry Potter's own good. Dobby was trying to prevent Harry from wanting to go back to Hogwarts, to which Harry called his real home. The house-elf cause raucous in the Dursley household by dropping pudding with mountains of cream and sugared violets on top of the head of Mrs. Mason. And with a crack like a whip, vanished as soon as the damage was done.

After that, an owl with a letter from the Ministry of Magic arrived, saying that he would be expelled if any more underage use of magic were found on his part.

That very night, Lena and Calla had arrived at Ron's house just in time to hear what he, Fred and George had planned. A rescue of Harry Potter. The girls were excited. Their first adventure with the three Weasley brothers!

"So," Fred said that night, an hour before everyone else was asleep, "We'll sneak out of the house once everyone is asleep and get to the car out front. George and I will use the spell dad uses to expand the car whenever we go to King's Cross so that you two can fit in the backseat and with Harry and Ron," he explained.

"Where did you say he lived, Ron?" George questioned his younger brother.

"Somewhere in Surrey," Ron said, "He never really explained to me where he lived."

"He lives on Number Four, Privet Drive," Calla chimed in. Ron looked at her confusedly.

"We asked him where he lived once, and he told us," Lena explained, an innocent smile on her face.

"Right," Fred said, slinging an arm around Calla's shoulders. "So, are we set on the plan?" he asked everyone, to which they all nodded with enthusiasm.

 _Thank God Evie and Ethan are still at home,_ Lena Kelted to Calla immediately after this exchange.

Calla looked at her sister and nodded. _Yeah,_ she replied simply.

An hour later, the Weasley household was getting ready for bed.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here, Mrs. Weasley," Calla said as they made their way up the stairs.

"We really appreciate it," Lena added.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at them once they reached the top and hugged the girls motherly. "It's no problem, dears. You're welcome to stay with us any time!" They felt a little guilty for what they were about to do with the three Weasley boys, but the thought of seeing Harry again made up for it.

Fred and George had made a fort just for show so that Mrs. Weasley would think that they were going to be sleeping. When right under her nose, they would be sneaking back down the stairs and to the car within a matter of minutes. The quartet stayed in the rather large room that was surrounded with pranks and doodads that the twins had invented, until they were sure that the whole house was asleep, even Ginny. Ron had tip-toed into the twins' room a few minutes after they heard the last door screech shut.

"Ready?" The twins muttered. Ron, Lena and Calla nodded. Fred and George left the room first, making quite sure that every door was closed before tip-toeing down the stairs. The Lockhart sisters and Ron followed suit, Lena and Calla checking over their shoulders every so often to see if Mrs. Weasley was watching them.

As soon as the group made it outside the Burrow, the twins did the enlargement incantation on the muggle car, widening the backseat so that four seats were visible. The twins sat in the front, and Ron, Calla and Lena took their seats in the back and placed their seatbelts on. Ron followed soon after.

"Everyone good?" George asked, turning around in his seat to look at the three. They nodded. "Right," he said, "Go on, then, Fred!"

Once the car flew up into the air, Lena and Calla gasped as the altitude they reached went higher and higher. Fred chuckled and pressed the button labeled 'Invisibility Booster'. They flew into the night, Calla and Lena looking out the window frequently, seeing the clouds below them move along with them. Ron looked at them with an amused expression.

"Did you honestly, think we'd be using the Muggle function of a car?" Ron asked, laughter in his voice. The girls blushed slightly.

"We've never been in a flying car," Calla explained. "Our parents don't use magic like your family does." Ron nodded in realization.

"Almost there!" Fred exclaimed happily, motioning the car downwards as if to land. As the car made its way down, the girls noticed that the street sign was labeled Privet Drive. Harry's street. The excitement bubbled in their throats as they reached the window of Number Four. Harry stood looking out his window, blinking occasionally.

" _Ron?"_ He breathed when they reached an inch away from the window. "How did you - what the?" His mouth fell open. Ron was leaning out of the window of an old turquoise car which was parked _in midair._ Grinning at him from the front seats were Ron's older twin brothers, Fred and George. And behind Ron in the back seat were Lena and Calla Lockhart, who were waving and smiling at him on either side of the redhead.

"Alright, Harry?" asked George.

"What's been going on?" Ron asked, "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay like twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles -"

"I'm sure that Harry wouldn't do such a thing, Ron," Calla said from behind. Harry nodded gratefully with a slight smile.

"It was me - and how did he know?" he asked.

"He works for the Ministry," said Ron. "You _know_ we're not supposed to do spelled outside school -"

"You should talk," said Harry, staring at the floating car. Calla and Lena giggled.

"Oh, this doesn't count," said Ron. We're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, _we_ didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of those Muggles you live with -"

"I told you, I didn't - but it'll take too long to explain now - look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've used in three days, so -"

"Stop gibbering," said Ron. "We've come to take you home with us."

"But you can't magic me out either -"

"We don't need to," said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat and grinning, "You forget who I've got with me."

"Tie that around the bars," said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Harry.

"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car.

"Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back."

Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realized how important it was and kept still and silent. The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up into the air. Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys' bedroom. When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Calla and Lena, Fred reversed as close as possible to Harry's window.

"Get in," Ron said.

"But all my Hogwarts stuff - my wand - my broomstick -"

"Where is it?" Lena asked anxiously.

"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room -"

"No problem," said George from the front passenger seat. "Out of the way, Harry."

Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into Harry's room. You had to hand it to them, thought Harry, as George took an ordinary hairpin from his pocket and started to pick the lock.

"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skilled worth learning, even if they are a bit slow." There was a small click and the door swung open.

"So - we'll get your trunk - you grab anything you need from your room and hand it to Ron, Calla and Lena," whispered George.

"Watch out for the bottom stair - it creaks," Harry whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing.

Harry dashed around his room, collecting things and passing them out of the window to Ron and the Lockhart sisters. Then he went to help Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. Harry heard Uncle Vernon cough.

At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunk through Harry's room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and harry and George pushed from the bedroom side. Calla and Lena positioned themselves behind Ron in the backseat, pulling against his shirt. Inch by inch, the trunk slid through the window.

Uncle Vernon coughed again.

"A bit more," panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car. "One good push -"

Harry and George threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car.

"Okay, let's go," George whispered.

But as Harry climbed onto the windowsill there came a sudden loud screech from behind him, followed immediately by the thunder of Uncle Vernon's voice.

"THAT RUDDY OWL!"

"I've forgotten Hedwig!"

Harry tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on - he snatched up Hedwig's cage, dashed to the window, and passed it out to Ron. He was scrambling back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door, and it crashed open. For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.

Ron, Lena and Calla seized Harry's arms and pulled as hard as they could.

"Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

But the trio gave a gigantic tug and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp - Harry was in the car - he'd slammed the door shut -

"Put your foot down, Fred!" yelled Ron, Lena and Calla, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon.

Harry couldn't believe it - he was free. He rolled down the window, the night air whipping his hair, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of Harry's window.

"See you next summer!" Harry yelled.

Everyone in the car roared with laughter and Harry settled back in his seat, grinning from ear to ear.

"Let Hedwig out," he told Ron. "She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages."

George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig soared joyfully out of the window to glide alongside them like a ghost.

"So - what's the story, Harry?" said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening?"

"Yeah!" Calla and Lena said. "We tried writing you and when you didn't reply, we got really worried."

Harry told them all about Dobby, the warning he'd given Harry and the fiasco with the violet pudding. There was a long, shocked silence when he had finished. Lena and Calla shared a concerned glance.

"Very fishy," said Fred finally.

"Definitely dodgy," agreed George, "So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?"

"I don't think he could," said Harry, "I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall."

He saw the twins, Lena and Calla exchange a look with each other.

"What, you think he's lying to me?" said Harry.

"Well," said Fred, "put it this way - house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"

"Yes," Harry, Ron, Calla and Lena said simultaneously.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained. "He hates me."

"Draco Malfoy?" said George, turning around, "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?"

"Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" said Harry. "Why?"

"I've heard Dad talking about him," said George. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who."

"And when You-Know-Who disappeared," said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, "Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung - Dad reckons he was right in You-Know-Who's inner circle."

Harry had heard about Malfoy's family before, and they didn't surprise him at all. Malfoy made Dudley Dursley look like a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive boy.

"I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf…" said Harry.

"Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich," said Fred.

"Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing," said George. "But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic, and gnomes all over the garden. House-elves come with big old manors and castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house…"

Harry was silent. Judging by the fact that Draco Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family was rolling in wizard gold; he could just see Malfoy strutting around a large manor house. Sending the family servant to stop Harry from going back to Hogwarts also sounded exactly like the sort of thing Malfoy would do. Had Harry been stupid to take Dobby seriously?

"I'm glad we came to get you, anyway," said Ron, "I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. I thought it was Errol's fault at first -"

"Who's Errol?" Harry interjected.

"Don't blame the owl, Ron," Lena said defensively, "It can't help it if it's clumsy." Ron rolled his eyes.

"Our owl. He's ancient. It wouldn't be the first time he'd collapsed on a delivery. So then I tried to borrow Hermes -"

" _Who?"_

"The owl Mum and Dad bought Percy when he was made prefect," said Fred from the front.

"But Percy wouldn't lend him to me," said Ron. "Said he needed him."

"Percy keeps sending letters to someone," Calla chimed in. "I keep seeing Hermes flying out of his window."

"He's been acting very oddly this summer," said George, frowning. "And he _has_ been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room... I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge… You're driving too far west, Fred," he added, pointing at a compass on the dashboard. Fred twiddled the steering wheel.

"So does your dad know you've got the car?" said Harry, guessing the answer.

Calla and Lena yawned sleepily, unaware of the time of night. The sky was midnight blue and the clouds were fading to a dark grey. Unknowingly, Calla had rested her head on Ron's shoulder, and Lena on Harry's. George saw this through the passenger side mirror and chuckled.

 _Me sleepy…_ Lena and Calla Kelted to the twins. Fred and George looked at each other with slight grins on their faces.

 _We can see that,_ Fred replied.

 _We'll be home soon,_ George added.

As Harry and Ron talked about Mr. Weasley and his job at the Ministry, the boys had slid their arms around Lena and Calla's shoulders out of sheer instinct. Lower and lower went the flying car as the conversation died down. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.

"Touchdown!" said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry looked out for the time at Ron's house. It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BURROW. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.

Ron and Harry poked the girls awake and led them out of the old car. Fred and George took over with their arms slung around the girls' shoulders. Calla felt warmth at her heart where her lily pendant lay.

"It's not much," said Ron to Harry.

"It's _wonderful."_ Harry replied.

"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, 'Mum, look who turned up in the night!' and she'll be pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car."

"Right," said Ron, "Come on, Harry, I sleep at the - at the top -"

Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed on the house. The other five wheeled around.

Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger.

" _Ah,"_ said Fred, tugging Calla closer.

"Oh dear," said George, tugging Lena close.

Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket. She looked motherly at Lena and Calla and sighed heavily at the sleepy girls.

" _So,"_ she said.

"Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.

"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper.

"Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to-"

All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them.

" _Beds empty! No note! Car gone - could have crashed - out of my mind with worry - did you care? - never, as long as I've lived - you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill, Charlie or Percy-"_

"Perfect Percy," muttered Fred, and Calla looked up at him with a worried look on her face.

"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred's chest. "You could have _died,_ you could have been _seen,_ you could have lost your father his _job -"_

It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry, who backed away.

"I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said. "Come on in and have some breakfast."

She turned and walked back into the house and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her.

The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat on the edge of his seat, looking around. He had never been in a wizard house before. The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like _Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens,_ and _You're late._ Books were stacked three deep on the mantlepiece, books with titles like _Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking,_ and _One Minute Feasts - It's Magic!_ And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."

Mrs. Weasley bustled about the kitchen , cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons, muttering things under her breath.

"I don't blame _you,_ dear," she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages on his plate. "Arthur and I have been worried about you too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday. But really, (she was now adding three fried eggs onto his plate), "flying an illegal car halfway across the country - anyone could have seen you -"

She flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.

"It was _cloudy,_ Mum!" said Fred.

"You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"They were starving him, Mum!" said George.

"And you!" said Mrs. Weasley, but it was with a slightly softened expression that she started cutting Harry bread and buttering it for him.

 _There's no use in explaining ourselves,_ Calla willed into Fred's head from beside him as she ate viciously. _Just let her calm down._ Fred looked down at her, and she up at him while chewing. He smiled grimly at her and nodded once in submission. _She's a mother, she's bound to freak out more than you would._ Calla explained, going back to eating. Fred chuckled in her head.

At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, red-headed figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.

"Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry as the girls giggled and shook their heads. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer."

"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother's eye and bent his face over his plate without another word. Calla rested her hand on his arm gently. Nothing more was said until all six plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time.

" _Blimey,_ I'm tired," yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. "I think we'll go to bed and -"

"You will not," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again -"

"Oh, Mum-"

"And you two," she said, glaring at Ron and Fred. "You can go up to bed, dears," she added to Harry, Calla and Lena. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car -"

But Harry, who felt wide awake, said quickly, "I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming -"

"Neither have we," Calla and Lena said simultaneously.

"That's very sweet of you, dears, but it's dull work," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject -"

And she pulled a heavy book from the stack on the mantlepiece. George groaned. Calla and Lena looked at each other with grim faces.

"Are you two related to Gilderoy?" Mrs. Weasley asked the girls, seeing the exchange.

Lena and Calla nodded grimly. "He's our uncle," they explained, "Father's brother."

Fred and George raised their eyebrows at them. "You never told us about him," they said.

"We don't really associate ourselves with him very much," Calla explained in a tiny voice.

"Fame got to his head and he completely avoided us," Lena added, looking at her sister. Fred wrapped his arm brotherly around Calla's shoulder.

"Oh he is marvelous," Mrs. Weasley said, apparently having not heard the conversation. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book…"

"Mum _fancies_ him," said Fred, in a very audible whisper. Calla almost choked on her juice. Fred patted her back as she coughed.

"Don't be so ridiculous, Fred," said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink, "All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."

Yawning and grumbling, the Weasley slouched outside with Harry, Calla and Lena behind them. The garden was large, and in Harry's eyes, exactly what a garden should be. "You should see the garden we have at our home, Harry," Lena said, "It's beautiful. Our mother takes great pride in it." The Dursleys wouldn't have liked the Weasley's garden. There were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting - but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants Harry had never seen spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs.

Lena and Calla watched Fred and George as they sat near the pond, dipping their toes in the cool water.

"Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know," said Harry to Ron as they crossed the lawn.

"Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes," said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, "like fat, little Santa Clauses with fishing rods…"

Fred and George motioned for Lena and Calla to come and help them, so the sisters found their way across the garden.

"Gerroff me! Gerroff me!" the gnome squealed. Harry, Lena and Calla watched as Ron swung the gnome around like a lasso.

"It doesn't _hurt_ them," Ron said reassuringly, "We just got to make them really dizzy so that they don't find their way back to the gnomeholes." He let go of the gnomes ankles: it flew twenty feet into the air and landed with a thud in the field over the hedge. The girls clapped in awe.

"Pitiful," said Fred. "I bet I can get mine beyond that stump."

Harry, Lena and Calla learned quickly not to feel too sorry for the gnomes. Lena and Calla oohed as Harry flung his gnome across the field.

"Wow, Harry - that must've been fifty feet -" Lena said.

The air was soon thick with flying gnomes. Even Calla and Lena decided to give it a go. "See, they're not too bright," said George, seizing five or six gnomes at once, catching the girls off guard. "The moment they know the de-gnoming's going on they storm up to have a look. You'd think they'd have learned by now just to stay put." Soon, a crowd of gnomes in the field started walking away in a straggling line, their little shoulders hunched.

"They'll be back," said Ron as they watched the gnomes disappear into the hedge on the other side of the field. "They love it here… Dad's too soft with them; he thinks they're funny…"

Just then, the front door slammed.

"He's back!" said George. "Dad's home!"

They hurried through the garden and back into the house.

Mr. Weasley was slumped in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.

"What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned…" Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea and sighed.

"Find anything, Dad?" said Fred eagerly.

"All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle," yawned Mr. Weasley. "There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness…"

"Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" said George.

"Just Muggle-baiting," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it… Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking - they'll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face… But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn't believe -"

"LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?"

Mrs. Weasley appeared, holding a long poker like a sword. Mr. Weasley's eyes jerked open. He stared guiltily at his wife while Lena and Calla giggled at the exchange.

"C-cars, Molly, dear?"

"Yes, Arthur, cars," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while _really_ he was enchanting it to make it _fly."_

After Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had the argument about the flying car, causing Lena and Calla to go into a fit of silent giggles, Mrs. Weasley mentioned that Harry had arrived that morning in the car that Mr. Weasley wasn't intending to fly.

"Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly, "Harry who?"

He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped.

"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about -"

" _Your sons flew that car with Lena and Calla to Harry's house and back last night!"_ shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"

"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I - I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that - that was very wrong, boys and girls - very wrong indeed…"

Fred, George, Lena and Calla stayed in the kitchen as Ron and Harry snuck upstairs to Ron's room. As the storm of screaming from Mrs. Weasley increased, a bell sounded at the front door. Lena and Calla jumped up from the table.

"Erm - Mrs. Weasley -" Calla said cautiously, getting Mrs. Weasley to look at her. "Our brother and sister are here with our parents…" Mrs. Weasley breathed heavily and nodded.

"We'll go and fetch them," Lena added. Fred and George followed the girls to the door.

When the Lockhart sisters pulled the door open, they were bombarded by the growing pups, Ren and Eleanor. They had grown about twice the size over the summer and still flew up on the girls' shoulders, but felt light as air. Evie and Ethan Lockhart, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart, stepped through the old entryway. Evie and Ethan oohed and ahhed at the figurines on the walls.

"Hello, again," Fred and George said cheerily to the youngsters.

"Hi!" The boy and girl replied, looking up at the red-headed twins.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart," Fred said gentlemanly, shaking the hands of Lena and Calla's mother and father. George followed suit.

"Ah," Mrs. Lockhart said with a warm smile on her face. "Good to see you as well, Fred. George." She hugged her eldest daughters tightly as she walked in after Evie and Ethan. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, but there were slight wrinkles when she smiled. Her hair was tied up into a messy bun at the top of her head, as they had been traveling. Mrs. Weasley welcomed them into the cramped kitchen. The amused sounds came from the younger versions of Lena and Calla as they moved around the room, looking fixedly at the clock on the wall.

"Welcome to our abode, Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart!" Mrs. Weasley said brightly, offering them some breakfast that was still left in the pots.

"Please," Mrs. Lockhart said with a smile, her bright blue eyes twinkling, "Call me Olivia." She extended her hand towards Mrs. Weasley, who shook it respectfully.

"You can call me, Molly," Mrs. Weasley replied kindly, returning to the sink and retrieving some fried eggs and sausages. "And this is my husband, Arthur," she added, gesturing to Mr. Weasley who was reading the newspaper. He looked up at the sound of his name, and waved politely to the new guests.

Mr. Lockhart rounded up Evie and Ethan, carrying them to the kitchen table. "Since we're going by first names," he said, sitting them down on two chairs as they laughed, "you both can call me Theodore. Ted for short, if you do so choose."

 _Ron, Harry!_ Lena and Calla shouted at the boys from downstairs. _Come down and say hello to our parents!_ Just then, footsteps could be heard coming down the narrow staircase.

Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart looked up at the two boys who had just entered the room. "Hello," Mrs. Lockhart said with a smile.

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, correct?" Mr. Lockhart questioned, a slight grin on his lips as he noticed the boys glance at each other. Evie, Ethan, Calla and Lena chuckled. "Our daughters have told us about you two." Harry and Ron looked at the sisters that stood by Fred and George. Nonetheless, they nodded in response.

Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart tucked into their breakfasts handed to them by Mrs. Weasley. "We can't stay long, unfortunately," Theodore Lockhart said as he finished his last sausage. "We both have work to do when we get back to the Lockhart House." Fred and George looked at Lena and Calla, who shrugged.

"We just wanted to say goodbye to our children before they went off to Hogwarts," Mrs. Lockhart said cheerfully as she took a sip of tea. Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"Stay as long as you'd like. We'll be sure to get them their school supplies tomorrow when the lists come." Mrs. Weasley explained. With a flick of her wand, the plates on the table had floated to the sink.

Shortly after Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart had finished their breakfasts, looked around the Burrow and complimented Mrs. Weasley on everything they saw, hugs were given round.

"Thanks so much for letting our children stay with you, Molly, dear," Mrs. Lockhart said, hugging the redheaded woman.

"It's really no problem," Mrs. Weasley said reassuringly.

The Lockharts said their teary goodbyes and Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart left the Burrow in their old, rusted car that, sadly, did not fly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Guys and Welcome to out Sequel Story! This is chapter 2 and I hope you enjoy!**

 **~Lena**

* * *

Chapter 2:

The Burrow seemed as fascinating to Ethan and Evie as Muggle things were to Mr. Weasley. Once everyone had finished eating and Lena and Calla's Mom and Dad had left, Lena, Calla, Fred, and George decided it was time to give Ethan and Evie a tour of the house and show them where they would be sleeping.

"You'll be staying with us the four of us in mine and Fred's room! There's enough room in the fort we made for Lena and Calla that you two can fit in there too." George informed them with a smile as they entered the room to put their stuff down.

The rest of the day for Lena and Calla was spent with them talking to Ethan and Evie and the youngsters getting to know their older sisters' friends. Time seemed to fly by as they all talked and laughed, and before they knew it, all the kids were yawning and Mrs. Weasley had shooed them all up to bed.

After saying sleepy goodnights to the rest of the family, Fred, George and the Lockhart siblings all settled down into their room to sleep. Fred and George slept in their own separate beds while Lena and Calla slept curled up inside the fort with Ethan and Evie sprawled out on either side of them.

The next few days went as such. In laughter and fun. Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to become big brother figures to Ethan and Evie, just like with Lena and Calla. Evie and Ethan seemed to be enjoying themselves, spending time with their older sisters and their friends, along with being surrounded by magic. Some days, they would just spend the day outside, playing with Ren and Eleanor while other days would be spent inside, plotting pranks and just random conversations. Harry, Ron, Fred and George passionately explained everything having to do with Quidditch to a very curious and excited Ethan while Lena, Calla, Ginny and Evie tuned them out and talked about the the latest books and other things. Nobody saw much of Percy over the next few days, he spent most of his time in his room, only coming out for meals.

A week after Harry's arrival at The Burrow, Fred, George and the Lockhart siblings trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen, still in their pajamas to each be handed a Hogwarts letter. They all seated themselves in their chairs at the table and eagerly opened up the envelopes. As they all read their separate letters, Ethan started pouting a bit, which did not go unnoticed by Lena and Calla.

"What's wrong Ethan?" they asked him, getting everyone else's attention. Evie tilted her head curiously.

"This says that students are allowed a cat, an owl, or a toad. Does that mean I can't bring Orion with me?" He asked sadly, looking at his sisters. Lena and Calla giggled as they looked at their little brother.

"Ethan, I think Mum and Dad already talked to Dumbledore about that and he agreed to let you bring Orion. Just like he did with Ren and Eleanor." Lena answered him, playfully nudging him in his side. He smiled at them.

"Really?" he said happily. Lena and Calla nodded their heads, and Ethan smiled happily.

"Uhh… Who's Orion?" Fred asked the four sibling, causing them to chuckle.

"Orion is Ethan's Arctic Fox. He found it in the forest a few years ago and he's had him since." Calla answered him. The others nodded in understanding and went back to eating and reading their letters. Lena, Calla and the others found the list of required books and started reading through them.

Second Year students required:

 _The Standard Book of Spells_ , Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk

 _Break with a Banshee_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Gadding with Ghouls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Holidays with Hags_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Travels with Trolls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Voyages with Vampires_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Wanderings with Werewolves_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Year with the Yeti_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie all groaned, "Just peachy..." They all murmured in unison.

Fred had finished reading his own list and peered over Harry's shoulder at his list.

"You've been told to get all Lockhart's books too!" Fred stated, "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan - bet it's a witch." he said. At that moment, Fred's eyes met Mrs. Weasley's and he quickly busied himself with the toast and eggs on his plate.

"That lot won't come cheap, Mum." said George, glancing at him parents, "Lockhart's books are really expensive…" he said.

"Well, we'll manage." Mrs. Weasley said, looking slightly worried. "I expect we'll be able to pick up most of Ginny's things second-hand." she added.

"Oh, you're starting at Hogwarts this year too?" Harry asked Ginny. Lena and Calla rolled their eyes and smiled. Ginny blushed wildly and nodded her head.

Seconds later, Percy walked into the kitchen, already dressed in a knitted tank top with his Hogwarts prefect badge pinned on it.

Morning all." Percy greeted, "Lovely day," he said and sat down in the only remaining vacant chair at the table. He jumped up almost immediately and pulled out an old grey feathered owl from under him.

"Errol!" Ron said, taking the limp owl from Percy's hands and extracting the letter from under its wing. "Finally! He's got Hermione's answer. I wrote to her saying we were going to try and rescue you from the Dursleys." Ron explained to Harry. He then carried Errol back to the perch and tried to stand him up but he continued to fall over, so then he just laid Errol on the draining board and muttered "Pathetic," before coming back to his seat and opening up the letter. He cleared his throat and read the letter out loud:

 _Dear Ron, Lena, Calla and Harry (if you're there),_

 _I hope everything went alright and that Harry is okay and that you didn't do anything illegal to get him out, Ron, because that would get Harry in trouble too. I've been really worried and if Harry is alright, please let me know right away, but perhaps you should send a different owl or get Lena or Calla to text me because I think another delivery will finish your owl off._

 _I'm very busy with school work, of course, and we're going to London next Wednesday to buy my new books. Why don't we all meet in Diagon Alley?_

 _Let me know what's going on as soon as you can._

 _Love from Hermione._

"Well that fits nicely, we can go and get all your things then too." Mrs. Weasley said, starting to clear the table with some help from Lena, Calla and Evie.

Once the table had been cleared and everyone was left to their own devices, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie planned to go up a hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees that blocked it from view of the village below, so they could practise Quidditch there as long they didn't fly too high. Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie sat on one side close to the trees and watched as the Fred, George, Ron and Harry threw apples to each other.

A few minutes later, they all marched back down the hill, with their broomsticks over their shoulders. They had asked Percy if he wanted to join them, but he declined, saying he was busy with something. So far, the others had only seen Percy at meal times. Otherwise, he stayed in his room.

"Wish I knew what he was up to." Fred said frowning, "He's not himself. His exam results came the day before we came to get you Harry, twelve O. and he hardly gloated at all."

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels." George explained, seeing the confused expressions on Harry, and the Lockhart siblings' faces. "Bill got twelve too. If we're not careful, we'll have another Head Boy in the family. I don't think I could stand the shame." George said dramatically.

Suddenly, Merlin, Lena and Calla's owl flew through the window and landed on Lena's arm. Calla gave her sister a questioning look as Lena took the letter tied to Merlin's legs and stood him up on the perch.

 _Who is that from?_ Calla asked her in her mind.

Lena chuckled awkwardly as everyone looked at her curiously, _Draco and I've been keeping in touch since summer started so that's probably his letter._ She responded, causing Calla to roll her eyes. Lena sat down on a chair and opened the letter, starting to silently read it. it read:

 _Hey Lena,_

 _I hope you're having a great summer so far, because I am. Father bought me a new broom for school and I just recently got my letter so we'll be going to Diagon Alley to get my supplies within the next couple of days. Hope to see you there._

 _Draco Malfoy_

Lena rolled her eyes at the short letter she got in her reply and folded it up. _That has to be one of the shortest letters I've ever read. It's like three sentences!_ she Kelted to Calla, who chuckled in return.

 _Well, what do you expect? It's Malfoy we're talking about here!_ Calla replied, causing Lena to roll her eyes.

Lena and Calla ended their silent discussion there, only in time to hear George mention how he didn't know how they were going to afford all this stuff considering how many things they needed. They met the curious eyes of Ethan and Evie who looked up at them.

 _How are we going to get all this stuff?_ they asked in unison.

Lena and Calla exchanged a look and chuckled, _You'll see,_ they said.

The following Wednesday, they were all woken up bright and early by Mrs. Weasley. After a quick breakfast of sandwiches, they all pulled on their coats, Ren and Eleanor let outside to play while the others were gone and Mrs. Weasley took a flower pot off the mantelpiece and peered inside.

"We're running low, Arthur," she informed, "We'll need to get more today. Ah, well, Guests first! After you Harry dear!"

Harry stared down at the flower pot, confused until Ron spoke up.

"Oh! I forgot! They've never travelled by Floo powder before!" Ron said, looking at the confused expressions on Harry, Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie's faces.

"Never?" Mrs. Weasley asked them, "But how did you get to Diagon Alley last time?" she asked them.

"Hagrid took us there." Lena, Calla and Harry answered her.

"Well, Floo powder is a lot quicker. But, my goodness, you've never travelled by Floo powder before-" Mrs. Weasley started.

"They'll be fine Mum." Fred interrupted, "Watch us first you guys." he added to them as he grabbed a pinch of powder from the flower pot and threw it into the fire. When the fire turned emerald green, he stepped in and shouted "Diagon Alley" as he vanished.

"You must speak clearly, dears." Mrs. Weasley said to them as George dipped his hand into the pot. Ethan and Evie looked startled and slightly scared as they watched George disappear into the green fire, "and mind you get out at the right grate."

"The right what?" Harry asked nervously as he stared at the fireplace.

"Um.. Mrs. Weasley, would it be alright if Lena and I took Ethan and Evie with us through the Floo Network? We don't want them to get lost, since they have no idea where they will be." Calla asked Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley nodded, "It would be a bit harder to get through the fire with two people but of course you can dears.' she said, as she offered them the flowerpot.

Lena nodded and grabbed Ethan's hand before taking a handful of the powder and throwing it into the fire. Once the fire turned emerald green, she pulled Ethan into the fire along with her as she shouted "Diagon Alley!" and they both disappeared.

Evie looked at the fireplace unsurely, "Is it safe?" She asked unsurly.

Calla smiled and grabbed her hand, "People use it everyday so it should be fine, Evie." She said and pulled Evie to the fireplace. She grabbed a handful of the powder like Lena and threw it into the fire. She stepped through along with Evie as soon as the fire turned green and shouted "Diagon Alley!"

Lena and Ethan both slid out of the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron and groaned as they landed on the floor. Lena looked slightly pale and Ethan looked like he was going to throw up.

"Can we never do that again?" Ethan asked, closing his eyes.

Lena and Calla heard a pair of chuckles from above them. They looked up and saw Fred and George standing above them with identical smirks on their faces.

"If we don't use the Floo system-"Fred started,

"Then how will we get home?" George smirked as they helped the brother and sister up.

Seconds later, Calla and Evie slid out and landed only a couple of inches away from where Lena and Ethan were lying seconds ago.

"You two doing alright?" Fred and George asked Calla and Evie as they offered them a hand to help them up.

"That certainly isn't my favorite way to travel." Calla said as she got up. Fred and George chuckled as they led them over to Lena and Ethan who sat at a table close by.

Soon everyone except for Harry had shown up at the Leaky Cauldron. Ron explained to them how Harry stuttered while pronouncing the name of the place and how they all hoped that he had only gone one grate too far.

"Well let's go out and find him." Lena and Calla said. The others nodded in agreement and everyone entered Diagon Alley. They all decided to find Harry before buying anything else so they all set off as a group together to look for their black-haired, green-eyed friend.

"There he is!" Ron shouted after a few minutes of searching. Everyone looked up to where Ron was pointing.

They saw Harry standing in front of Gringotts, along with Hagrid and Hermione. Ron, Fred, George, Percy, Mr. Weasley, Lena, Calla, Evie and Ethan set off, sprinting down the crowded street towards Harry. Hagrid spotted them first and grinned as he pointed them out.

"Harry!" Mr. Weasley panted, "We _hoped_ you'd only gone a grate too far…" he said, wiping sweat from his forehead, "Molly's frantic, she's coming now." he added.

"Where did you end up?" Ron asked him.

"Knockturn Alley." Hagrid answered him grimly.

" _Brilliant_ " Fred and George said together. Lena and Calla sent them a strange look. From how Hagrid said the name, it didn't sound like a fun place to be.

"We've never been allowed in." Ron added enviously.

"I should ruddy hope not." Hagrid said.

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley came into view, her handbag was swinging in one hand and Ginny was clinging on to the other hand.

"Oh Harry, I'm glad you're safe. You could have been anywhere!" she gasped out. She took a large clothes brush out of her bag and started to brush off the soot and dust that was clinging to Harry's robes. Mr. Weasley took Harry's broken glasses and gave them a quick tap with his wand before returning them, completely fixed.

"Well, I gotta be off." Hagrid said quickly after being thanked by Mrs. Weasley multiple times for finding Harry, "See yeh at Hogwarts!" he said and strode away.

"Bye Hagrid!" Lena and Calla called after him, earning a wave in return. Ethan and Evie stared in wonder as Hagrid walked through the busy street.

"Wow!" Ethan and Evie said in unison as they watched Hagrid, causing everyone else to chuckle.

"Hermione! It's great to see you again!" Lena and Calla said. They hugged Hermione and then turned to Ethan and Evie.

"You met these two briefly, at KIng's Cross station I believe, but they never had a proper introduction." Calla said to Hermione.

"Hermione, meet, Ethan and Evie, our younger brother and sister. Ethan and Evie, meet Hermione, one of our best friends at Hogwarts." Lena continued.

"It's nice to meet you both!" Hermione said to them. Ethan and Evie agreed and greeted her back before they all headed up the stairs leading to Gringotts.

"Guess who I saw at Borgin and Burkes." Harry said to Ron, Hermione, Lena and Calla, as they climbed up the steps. "Malfoy and his father." Harry answered their confused looks.

"Really?" Lena asked, "You saw Draco in Knockturn Alley?" she asked him curiously. Harry nodded his head.

"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" Mr. Weasley asked sharply from behind them.

"No, he was selling." Harry answered.

"So, he's worried." Mr. Weasley said, "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something." he said excitedly.

"Arthur, be careful." Mrs. Weasley butted in as they walked past a bowing goblin and into the bank. "That family's nothing but trouble, don't go biting off more than you can chew." she added. Lena sighed as she heard the statement about the Malfoy family.

 _Not all of them are that bad._ she willed into Calla's mind with a pout, causing Calla to chuckle.

Mr. Weasley was about to retort to Mrs. Weasley, but when he spotted Hermione's parents standing nervously at the counter, waiting for Hermione to introduce them, he said:

"You're Muggles!" Mr. Weasley said excitedly. "What's that you've got? Oh you're changing Muggle money? Molly, look!" he pointed at the ten-pound notes that Mr. Granger held in his hand.

"We'll meet you back here." Ron said to Hermione as the Lockharts, Weasleys and Harry were led off to their underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin.

First, they went to Vault 214, the Lockharts' vault. The journey to the vault on the small goblin driven carts was more enjoyable to Harry, Lena and Calla the second time around, since they had more people in the cart and they knew what to expect. For Evie and Ethan on the other hand, the ride was more intense and terrifying than anything else they had ever experienced. Lena and Calla giggled lightly as they saw the expressions on their younger brother and sister's faces. They came to a stop in front of the vault and the Lockhart siblings got off to open the gold door.

Ethan and Evie gasped as they saw the coins sitting inside the vault.

"Whoa…" They said as they followed their sisters inside. Lena and Calla chuckled and took out their bags.

"Alright, we only have two of these bags, so we'll carry all the money with us, you guys can take some into your pockets if you want." Calla said to them as she and Lena began to grab handfuls of coins and put them into bags.

Ethan and Evie both grabbed a handful of some silver Sickles and a few Gold Galleons, then stepped out of the vault with Lena and Calla.

The goblin closed the vault again and they all piled back into the cart and headed to the Weasleys' vault. Harry and the Lockharts' heart sank at the lack of money inside the vault. There was only a small pile of Sickles and one Galleon. Mrs Weasley walked inside and grabbed some of the money from a corner before retreating back to the cart. Next came Harry's vault. He quickly and guiltily got out of the cart and hastily shoved a few handfuls of coins into his leather bag before the Weasleys could see too much of his vault.

After they had all collected the money, they went back outside and went their separate ways. Percy went on his own to get a new quill. Fred and George had found their friend, Lee Jordan. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were going to get a second-hand robe. Mr. Weasley insisted that the Grangers join him in the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. Lena and Calla took Ethan and Evie to get their wands and robes. And Harry, Hermione and Ron were left to their own devices.

Lena and Calla first took their younger siblings to get fitted for their school robes. They walked into Madam Malkin's robe shop. The bell rang as they walked in and the lady turned to face them with a smile.

"Hogwarts, dears?" she asked them. Ethan and Evie nodded. She beckoned them forward and stood them on some stools to get them measured.

Lena and Calla waited for them in the chairs near the door as they both got fitted for robes. Then, after they had finished and gotten their robes, Lena and Calla guided Evie and Ethan down the street towards _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC._

"This is where everyone gets their wands." Lena told them as they entered the door. "Hello? Mr. Ollivander?" she called out into the old and seemingly empty store.

Suddenly, a man popped up from behind the front desk. "Ah, Miss Lena and Miss Calla Lockhart, it is a pleasure to see you both again." he said first turning towards Lena, "Mahogany wood with Unicorn hair, still working well for you?" he asked her. She nodded, so he smiled and turned towards Calla, "And the Rosewood with Veela hair core still staying strong?" he asked her, causing her to nod.

He then turned to Ethan and Evie, who stared up at him with curiosity, and scanned them over with his silvery eyes, "Ah, I see you have brought your little brother and sister with you today, to get their wands I presume?" he asked. Once he got the nods of agreement, he snapped his fingers and walked back to his collection of wands, "Very well, sir, please hold out your wand arm." He said to Ethan.

Ethan looked back at Lena and Calla in confusion and mouthed "What?" to them as he saw them sitting on the chairs near the door.

"He means your writing hand." Lena answered his question with a chuckle.

"Oh," Ethan said and held out his right hand. Suddenly, a tape measure with silver markings magically floated to Ethan. "Uh… What is the tape measure for?" he asked Ollivander as the tape measure measured the space from his shoulder to the floor.

"Measuring your magical core." Ollivander answered him as he scanned through the shelves of wand boxes. "That will do." he said and snapped his fingers to stop the tape measure. He opened up one of the boxes and handed the wand over to Ethan. "Oak wood and Phoenix feather, 11 inches." he said.

Ethan unsurly took the wand into his hands. He glanced at Lena and Calla and saw them gesturing for him to wave it, so he did. He waved the wand and instantly, one of the shelves near the top collapsed. Ollivander immediately snatched the wand from his hand. "Sorry…" Ethan mumbled causing Evie to giggle.

Ollivander just waved his hand, "Not a problem. But, that certainly isn't the right wand for you. But, no matter, as I always say, 'The wand chooses the wizard.' Mr. Lockhart." Ollivander explained to him. "Hm… I wonder if you may have a similar core to your sister…" he said as pulled out another wand and handed it to Ethan, "Beech wood with Unicorn hair core." he said.

Ethan waved the wand and one of the boxes flew out of its place, narrowly missing Lena and Calla as they jumped out of the way. Ethan jumped slightly and put the wand down. Ollivander stared at Ethan for a moment, rubbing his own chin and looking deep in thought.

"I wonder…" Ollivander said as he hurried and took another wand out from one of the shelves, "Blackthorn wood and Dragon heartstring core, slightly temperamental and good for Dark Arts." he said, handing it to Ethan. Ethan took the wand and his eyes widened as a warm breeze went through him, making his already messy chocolate brown hair swish around a bit. Lena and Calla cheered and clapped happily. Ollivander smiled, "Brilliant! The wand has picked you."

Ethan smiled and walked to stand next to Lena and Calla to wait for Evie. Evie gulped and stepped forward as she received encouraging looks from her siblings. After Ollivander had measured her, he looked through the boxes and brought one out.

"Alright, first, let us try a wand similar to your brother's." Ollivander said, handing her a wand, "yew wood with Dragon heartstring core." Evie raised the wand above her head and the vase on the desk shattered.

"Oops!" Evie squeaked.

"Nope! Not that one!" Ollivander stated, taking the wand back and thinking for a minute before sighing, "You all seem to be tricky customers and have fairly old wands… so maybe we should try this…" He muttered as he went to the back and pulled out a dusty old box. He took the wand out and showed it to the others. "This wand was made long ago, it is Hazel wood with a Kelpie mane core, it was commonly used in the past." he said.

"Okay…?" Evie said. She took the wand in her hand and waved it. She gasped and little sparks came out of the tip of the wand. "Um… is that good?" she asked.

Ollivander smiled at her, "Yes, it is very good. That means that wand is now yours." he said and then turned to Lena and Calla, "That would be fourteen Galleons total for the wands." he said to them. Lena and Calla handed him the money and he smiled as they walked out of the store, "Take care of those wands, now!" he called out cheerily.

Once they left Ollivanders, the four siblings went to several different shops to get everything else they needed. After they had all gotten their quills and ingredients and such, they entered the _Magical Menagerie_ in order to get Evie a pet.

"Pick whatever pet you want." Calla said to Evie as they all started to wander around the store.

Evie spotted a beautiful little tabby kitten and walked over to it's cage. The kitten looked up at her and let out a tiny meow as he stared up at Evie with beautiful grey eyes. Evie smiled as she pick up the kitten, feeling its soft fur.

"Lena! Calla! Can I have him?" Evie called to her sisters, who were looking at owls on the other side of the room. They looked up and walked towards Evie when they heard their names being called.

"Aw He's adorable." Lena and Calla cooed, causing Ethan to roll his eyes. They agreed to buy Evie the kitten and walked over to the counter where the saleswoman stood.

"Ah, I see you have chosen little Hercules." the woman stated. "He is fairly new and young, but still well trained." she said to to.

"Yeah, I really like him." Evie said to her, cradling the tabby cat in her arms.

"Very well, that will be nine Galleons please." the woman said with a smile. She went to the back and brought a little carrying cage. "Thank you very much and take good care of him." she said as she handed over the cage and took the money.

"Hello, Hercules!" Evie said once they were out of the shop, holding Hercules close to her face. Hercules meowed in response. Evie then put him in his cage so they wouldn't lose him as they walked down the street.

"I think we should head to Flourish and Blotts now, it's almost time to meet up with the others there, anyway." Lena said, looking at the clock.

As the four siblings got closer to the book shop, they saw a large crowd formed in front of the entrance and trying to get in. A banner stretched out over the top of the upper windows told them the reason for the large crowd.

 _Gilderoy Lockhart_

 _will be signing copies of his autobiography_

MAGICAL ME

 _today 12:30 - 4:30_

The four siblings groaned as they read this. They trudged begrudgingly towards the store and squeezed inside. They all grabbed copies of all the books they needed and walked towards where they could spot all the Weasleys standing along with Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

 _Why did he have to be here today, of all days…_ Ethan and Evie Kelted to their sisters as they all reached the others.

 _I don't know guys…_ Lena started.

 _And trust us, we don't want to see him any more than you do._ Calla added.

"Ah, there you four are! Now we only have to wait for Ron, Harry and Hermione." Mrs. Weasley said, sounding breathless and fixing her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute," she added.

Lena and Calla sighed and glared at where Gilderoy sat. Suddenly they both felt a weight on their shoulders and looked up to see Fred and George with one arm around their shoulders and one around Ethan and Evie's shoulders.

"How'd shopping go for you guys?" George asked them from between Lena and Ethan.

"Good." Lena said with a shrug. "We got everything we needed, the books are all that's left." she informed him.

They all kept on chatting and were soon joined by Harry, Ron and Hermione who had just squeezed into the store and grabbed a book.

A short, irritable-looking man was hurrying around, taking pictures from different angles. He snapped at Ron to move out of the way so he could get a picture for the Daily Prophet.

Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie leaned on Fred and George and tried to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible.

"Whats the big deal?" Ron muttered as he rubbed his foot, which the photographer had stepped on.

Gilderoy Lockhart must have heard him because at that moment, he looked up and spotted Harry and the others standing there "It can't be, Harry Potter?" he asked.

The crowd parted as Gilderoy hurried past to where Harry stood and pulled him to the front. The crowd cheered excitedly as Gilderoy waved over the photographer to take pictures of them. The camera click madly and emitted a thick smoke that wafted over to the Weasleys and Lockhart siblings, causing them to cough and sneeze.

"BIg smile now, Harry." Gilderoy Lockhart said, "This is going to be worth the front page."

Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie all glared and huffed at their uncle as he forced Harry to take pictures with him. Then, he made the announcement that he was going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts this year.

"We have to deal with him for an entire year!?" Lena and Calla said incredulously.

"And our first year there too!" Ethan and Evie blurted out grudgingly.

Mrs. Weasley looks at them, appalled at the way they addressed their uncle. "Why are you four so angry about seeing your uncle?" she asked them, causing them to sigh and shake their heads.

"It's not important." Calla answered.

Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie, along with George, Fred and Mrs. Weasley then quickly bought all their book and headed to the area where Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione stood with another person.

"Ron!" Mr. Weasley yelled, when he saw him move towards the person. "What are you doing? It's mad in here, let's go outside." he said.

"Well, well, well- if it isn't Arthur Weasley." said the voice of Mr. Malfoy from behind Draco, with a hand on his shoulder, sneering at the Weasleys.

Lena's eyes landed on Draco, who was sneering at Ron. _You might want to stop sneering before your face permanently gets frozen like that._ She willed into her mind, giving him a light glare.

Draco's eyes widened as he looked around before finally spotting Lena. _W-What are you doing here? I mean… not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you with the Weasleys? And who are those two eleven-year-olds with you?_ he said back in her mind.

 _It's great to see you too Draco, but I would appreciate it if you didn't try to pick a fight with my friends everytime you see them._ she said with a glare, _Second, I'm here with the Weasleys because we are staying with them until the school year starts. And third, these two are my younger siblings, Ethan and Evie._ she answered him. She noticed him scowl at the Weasleys again and her eyes started to turn a little red. _Draco Lucius Malfoy! Quit scowling at people! Dear Merlin, if Ethan and Evie see you like this, they are going to hate you before they even get a chance to meet you, you idiot!_

Draco looked back at her, fear in his eyes as he saw Lena's eyes turning red. But they were both soon brought out of their silent conversation by a loud thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying. They looked up to realize that Mr. Weasley had thrown Mr. Malfoy into a bookshelf, causing heavy spellbooks to rain down on their head.

Lena's eyes suddenly turned pink as she looked at Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy fighting, and turned to face her sister, _What happened?_ she asked Calla as they heard Fred and George cheering Mr. Weasley on in the fight.

Calla sighed and answered, _Mr. Malfoy decided it was a good idea to insult the Weasley family and the Grangers as well._ she Kelted back as Hagrid hurried over to them and pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart.

Mr. Malfoy, who was still holding Ginny's Transfiguration book, shoved it back into her hands, eyes shining with hatred, "Here girl - take your book back, it's the best your father can do," he said as he pulled himself out of Hagrid's grip and beckoned Draco to follow him out of the store.

Draco looked back unsurely at Lena, who was glaring at his father with crimson eyes, before he turned and followed his father. _See you at Hogwarts, Lena,_ he willed into her mind as he exited the store.

Hagrid then started to talk to Mr. Weasley about how he should have ignored Mr. Malfoy, and how no one in that family was worth listening to because they had bad blood. He then ushered them all quickly out of the shop. Mrs. Granger were shaking in fright and Mrs. Weasley looked at Mr. Weasley with fury.

"A _great_ example you set for the children, Arthur… _fighting_ in public! What must have Gilderoy Lockhart thought?" She said.

"Oh, he was pleased." Fred answered her, slinging his arm around Calla as George did the same with Lena, "Didn't you hear him as we left? He asked the photographer if he could work the fight into the report, said it was good publicity." he explained.

The group calmed down a bit as they all headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasleys, Harry and the Lockhart siblings said their goodbye to the Grangers before taking their shopping and setting off back to The Burrow using the Floo Powder.

For Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie, the Floo network was not very enjoyable, but they just figured it would take some getting used to. They stepped through the fireplace, one at a time and headed back to the Burrow.

* * *

 **Well thats the end of the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Pleas Favorite and Review if you like this story or even the last one and have anything you would like to tell us or say!**

 **Anyway, that's about it!**

 **~Lena Lockhart**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The end of summer came too quickly for everyone. They were all looking forward to going back to Hogwarts, of course, but the time that the Lockhart siblings and Harry had spent at the Burrow had been some of the happiest times of their lives. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when they thought of going back home to no magic use.

On their last evening, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of their favorite things, ending with a mouthwatering treacle pudding. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Evie and Ethan clapped and squealed with glee watching the fabulous display. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.

It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands, Fred and Calla mumbling 'sorry' to each other whenever they collided; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.

"How are we going to fit in the car, Mr. Weasley?" Evie asked.

He looked at her with a weak smile and peered around to see if Mrs. Weasley was around, and beckoned her over to the car.

Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie did as they were motioned to do.

"Not a word to Molly," he whispered to them as he opened the trunk and showed them how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily.

" _Awesome!"_ Evie and Ethan said simultaneously. Mr. Weasley looked at them appreciatively.

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, the Lockhart siblings, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles _do_ know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Lena and Calla looked down and shook their heads, though Harry could swear that they were smiling. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.

Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.

"Molly, dear -"

" _No,_ Arthur -"

"No one would see - this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed - that'd get us up in the air - then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser -"

Ethan and Evie looked at their older sisters questioningly.

 _Invisibility Booster?_ they asked simultaneously.

Lena and Calla chuckled slightly.

 _Magic, guys. You're going to Hogwarts, remember? Anything is possible!_ Calla willed back to them as Fred slung his arm around her shoulders. The brother and sister glanced at each other, excitement clear on their faces.

They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.

Their previous year, Lena and Calla hadn't ridden the Hogwarts Express to the school, they just magically popped into the Great Hall. So they were very excited to ride it with Ethan and Evie for the first time. The tricky part was getting through platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.

"Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed and Ethan and Evie followed their older sisters.

"I'll take Ginny sand you two come right after us," Mrs. Weasley told Harry and Ron, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.

Ethan, Evie, Calla and Lena stared at the magnificent train as Fred and George guided them into it. Lena and Calla looked back out to the platform where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood, waving at them. Lena could see the worried look on Mrs. Weasley's face. Harry and Ron hadn't made it through the barrier and the train was about to leave. The girls spotted Hermione in one of the train cars and knocked on the door. She smiled brightly at them.

"Hi!" Hermione said happily, watching as Fred and George went on to find their friend Lee Jordan.

 _See you at the feast!_ Lena and Calla willed to the twins as they sat in the booth across from Hermione. Ethan and Evie took seats on either side of their older sisters.

"Where're Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked once they had settled in all their trunks and cages. Merlin sat perched next to the window of the car. Ethan held Orion in his lap and Hercules cuddled up at Evie's feet.

Lena and Calla looked at each other. "We don't know," they said simultaneously.

"They didn't make it through the barrier on time," Calla explained. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" Hermione said in surprise. The girls nodded. "I hope they don't do anything stupid." Lena and Calla giggled. Ethan looked out the window as the train moved forward.

"This is _so_ cool!" he exclaimed excitedly. The girls giggled. "What? It is!"

"We're not saying it isn't!" Lena, Calla and Evie said together, causing them to fall into fits of laughter. Just then, Neville Longbottom came walking by their train car.

"Neville!" Lena and Calla exclaimed, causing the boy to jump. He turned a little scarlet, but when he realized who had shouted his name, it was as though he came back to reality.

"Hi," he said tentatively. Lena and Calla beckoned him into the car. He looked at the two youngsters that sat on either side of the girls. Ethan and Evie smiled up at him.

"Ethan, Evie," Calla said, "Meet our friend Neville. He's in Gryffindor with Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys." Ethan and Evie waved at Neville, who looked at the Arctic Fox that sat in Ethan's lap being affectionately scratched behind the ear by Evie.

"Neville," Lena said, "Meet our little brother and sister, Ethan and Evie." Neville shook the two's hands. "Dumbledore made sure that they came to Hogwarts along with us this year!" she added excitedly.

Just then, the food trolley came around for lunch time. Lena and Calla quickly stepped out of the train car when the trolley came round to them. "Ethan, Evie, take what you want. It's on us," Calla said. The brother and sister followed suit and took as many magical things they saw. Pumpkin juices, sandwiches, chocolate frogs and some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Once they had all they wanted, Calla followed them back to sit down. Lena spotted Draco coming towards her to get something from the trolley.

"Hi, Draco," Lena said with a warning tone in her voice, her eyes turning a brilliant crimson. She closed the train car door slightly.

 _Lena…?_ Calla Kelted to her sister, but then she saw Draco Malfoy standing in front of Lena. _Oh._

"Lena," Draco said back tentatively, taking some treats from the trolley. He glanced into the car where Hermione and Neville sat. "Look," he said with a sigh, catching her wrist so that she wouldn't go back to where she sat, "I'll explain what happened with my dad and Mr. Weasley when we're back at Hogwarts, alright? Just don't hold a grudge on me." Lena relaxed slightly, her eyes going back to normal. She nodded once with a slight smile.

"See you at Hogwarts, then?" He said.

"Well, obviously," Lena replied, her eyes sparkling. Draco let go of her wrist and walked back to his train car. Lena went back and sat down next to Calla.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, nothing important," Lena replied, almost dreamily. Calla rolled her eyes.

 _Yeah, right._ Calla Kelted to her sister. Lena looked at her innocently with a smile.

 _He just said he wants to explain what happened when we get back to Hogwarts,_ Lena willed back. Calla raised an eyebrow, but ended the conversation there.

The train ride to Hogwarts didn't seem to take that long to the Lockharts because of the fun they had talking to Hermione and Neville. Evie and Ethan got amused easily by the bouncing Chocolate Frogs and seeing the magical cards with Professor Dumbledore waving at them on the front. Neville got to hold Orion the Arctic Fox and Hercules the tabby cat while riding the train, simply because the animals were attracted to him. Ren and Eleanor sat on Calla and Lena's shoulders as normal.

In order to reach Hogwarts Castle, the group got to ride carriages. Calla and Lena stared at the beautiful ghostly horses that guided them. The siblings weren't sure if they were the only ones that could see them, but they didn't ask questions. Fred and George met up with Lena and Calla and sat in the same carriage with them, along with Hermione.

"How do you reckon Harry and Ron are getting to the castle?" Fred asked them curiously as they rode.

"I don't know," Calla said anxiously. "We've been worried about them ever since we left Platform 9¾."

"I wouldn't worry," George said calmly, resting his arms behind his head, "They'll get to the castle."

When they arrived at Hogwarts, the first years were just arriving along the length of the lake guided by the friendly giant, Hagrid. The Lockhart sisters were anxious about their little siblings, but decided that they would follow Fred, George, Hermione and Neville into the Great Hall. They stared up at the bewitched ceiling and smiled. Cho Chang and Marcus Belby, their friends from last year, waved at them from the Ravenclaw table on the far right hand side of the room.

"How was your summer?" Marcus asked them once they sat down. Eleanor climbed down Calla's chest and flew to his lap, barking while wagging her tail. He chuckled and scratched her behind her ear.

"It was fun!" Calla and Lena said together.

"Our brother and sister are joining us here this year!" Lena added excitedly, hugging Cho tightly.

"Oh! Cool!" Cho said with a smile as Ren flew into her arms.

"What're their names?" Marcus asked as the first years started to file into the Hall.

"Ethan and Evie," Calla replied. Marcus nodded.

"Now," Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the Hall, "I would like to introduce to you all your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart," He motioned to a blonde, average height man with an eccentric, flowing robe that shone magenta in the brightness of the hall. He bowed, smiled to the crowd, and sat back down. Lena and Calla groaned with their heads down, their arms folded on the shining oak table.

"Is that your uncle?" Cho asked curiously, marveling at Gilderoy. The girls nodded.

"Why is that a bad thing?" Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"You'll find out…" Lena and Calla said with a groan.

Professor McGonagall placed a wooden stool next to Dumbledore's podium and an old, rust brown hat on top of it. The hat sang it's glorious song and then McGonagall stated:

"Now," she said, taking out a roll of parchment and facing the rather large group of first years, "You all will sorted into the four houses presented to you today. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." Ethan and Evie looked around to find their sisters and found them at the far right table. They nodded encouragingly at the brother and sister, who gulped nervously.

As Professor McGonagall went through the names on the list, cheers gyrating throughout the hall whenever someone was placed into a house.

"Lockhart, Ethan," Professor McGonagall said. Cho and Marcus smiled at Lena and Calla as their little brother went up nervously to the stool and sat down. He jumped slightly when the hat started to speak above his head. It mumbled things into his ears, and he started to turn pink.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat drawled. Claps and cheers came from the Ravenclaw table as Ethan climbed off of the stool and found a seat next to Calla. Calla looked over at their uncle, who looked back at her with a smile. She looked at her little sister.

"Lockhart, Evie," Professor McGonagall read. Evie walked up to the stool confidently, and when the hat was placed on her little head, it immediately screamed "RAVENCLAW!" Evie smiled brightly at her sisters, completely ignoring her uncle at the High Table and went to sit down next to her brother.

The rest of the sorting went on. When it was finished and all the first years were sorted, the blank silver plates were magically piled with food.

"Whoa!" Ethan and Evie exclaimed. They stared at the magnificent piles of food that now spread across the table.

While the first day feast was going on, Harry and Ron were in Snape's office being scolded. They had arrived via flying car and were seen by two Muggles. When they had arrived at the castle, they had run into the Whomping Willow, scars and blood covered their skin. However furious Professor Snape had been with the boys, he wasn't the judge of what happened to them; personally, he wanted them to be expelled, but he had no say as he was not their Head of House.

Momentarily after they were inside Snape's office, Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore entered the cold, dark room. McGonagall simply made Harry feel stupid for not sending an owl instead of taking a flying car. Dumbledore had only asked why they had done what they did. Harry wished that he would've just shouted at them, the disappointment in the old man's voice made his stomach curl. Harry explained what happened, and why they did what they did.

"We'll go and get our stuff," said Ron immediately proceeding this explanation.

"What are you talking about, Mr. Weasley?" barked Professor McGonagall.

"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Ron.

"Not today, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must impress upon you both the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to both your families tonight. I must also warn you that you if ever do something like this again, then I will have no choice but to expel you."

They had not been expelled, only punished with a detention. No points were taken from Gryffindor, due to the kindness of Professor McGonagall. They spent the rest of the feast in the office, however, eating chicken and ham sandwiches that the professor had kindly conjured up.

Once they had finished eating, Harry and Ron had gone up to Gryffindor tower. However, they did not have a password as they had not met a prefect yet. But hurrying footsteps came up from behind them, only for them to be greeted by Hermione and the Lockhart siblings.

"Harry! Ron!" Lena and Calla said, tackling the two boys.

"Are you alright?" Calla asked, looking at the blood dripping from above Ron's eye.

"We're fine," Harry replied.

"Where have you _been?_ The most _ridiculous_ rumors - someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car -"

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her. Ethan and Evie raised an eyebrow at them.

"You're not telling us that you _did_ fly here?" said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.

"Skip the lecture," Ron said impatiently, "and tell us the new password."

"It's 'wattlebird,'" said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point -"

Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hermione and the Lockhart siblings to scramble in after them.

Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie were met by Fred and George while Lee Jordan went up to Harry and Ron.

"Brilliant!" he yelled. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years -"

"Good for you," said a fifth year they had never spoken to; someone was patting the boys on the back as though he'd just won a marathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"

Later on that night, Calla and Lena escorted their little brother and sister back to the Ravenclaw common room. Cho and Marcus greeted them benevolently when they walked in, carrying Ren and Eleanor with Hercules and Orion trotting behind them.

"What happened to Harry and Ron?" Cho asked, handing Calla Eleanor.

"Flew a car into the Whomping Willow," Calla explained. "Weren't expelled, but got detention." Marcus shook his head with an incredulous smile. Penelope, the new prefect, walked into the room and greeted them with a smile.

"I see that you two are liking your time here," she said brightly to Ethan and Evie, who nodded as they sat down on the blue leather armchairs in front of the crackling fireplace. "Showing them around the castle, Calla, Lena?" The sisters nodded as Ren and Eleanor flew to the top of their heads. Penelope looked up at the pups and smiled. "Hello again, you two," she said in a heartwarming voice, handing them both a couple pieces of bread that the pups graciously took.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow," Lena and Calla said sleepily a half an hour later. They beckoned Ethan and Evie to follow them to the dorm.

"Good night Cho, Marcus, Penelope!" Evie said, waving to the group.

The Lockhart siblings went to bed with thoughts that blocked out the one thing that they were dreading the next day: having to see their uncle as a pathetic Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"We should probably send a letter to Mum and Dad," Ethan said, sitting on the edge of his four-poster bed in his pajamas.

"We'll do that tomorrow," Calla answered. "Right now, we need sleep."

The next morning, the Lockhart siblings woke to all their animals either curled up on their stomachs or licking their faces. They all got dressed, thinking of food, and followed Cho, Marcus and Penelope to the Great Hall. Fred and George met up with them halfway there and slung their arms arms around Lena and Calla.

"Gloomy day, today, isn't it?" Penelope said, looking up at the bewitched ceiling that was dull and gray. Calla noticed Hermione walking past them and took her wrist.

"Go easy on Harry and Ron, alright?" she said quietly. "They've been through enough, and Mrs. Weasley is bound to give Ron an earful today." Hermione nodded with a grim smile on her face.

"Looking out for my little brother, are you?" Fred said jokingly. Calla nudged him in the ribs.

"Only because I sensed that Hermione would give Ron and Harry a hard time, that's all." Calla replied as he let go of her and went to the Gryffindor table with George.

Soon after they sat down, the post owls came swooping down, handing everyone letters. Calla saw from a far that Errol had flown down in front of Ron. She took a swig of her juice and had a bite of toast buttered toast. A few minutes later, she heard the booming yells of Mrs. Weasley and jumped.

" _STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET A HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE -"_

Mrs. Weasley's yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the Gryffindor table, and echoed deafeningly off the walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen. Calla shook her head in dismay.

"Is that Mrs. Weasley?" Evie asked in a tentative whisper. Calla nodded.

 _"-LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED-_ "

"Oh dear," Ethan said after swallowing a mouthful of porridge.

" _-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED - YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."_ Calla looked at Fred, who looked just as shocked as everyone else. "Oh and Ginny, dear, congratulations on getting into Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud." Mrs. Weasley ended. The red envelope burst into flames in Ron's hand. A ringing silence fell over the hall.

Harry and Ron both looked like they'd be sick. Harry had pushed his bowl of porridge away and everyone could see the guilt on his face. No one had time to dwell on the letter of Mrs. Weasley's screams. The professors were handing out schedules. Professor Flitwick came strolling down the Ravenclaw table quickly, even with his shortness.

"Morning, Professor Flitwick!" Calla and Lena greeted their Head of House as he handed them their schedules.

"Morning girls," he squeaked, and looked over at Ethan and Evie, handing each of them their schedule. "You two enjoying Hogwarts so far?" The two nodded happily.

"Ooh, I can't wait for Charms on Tuesday!" Evie exclaimed with a bright smile. Color moved up Professor Flitwick's cheeks, but he kept moving along the line.

"What do you guys have first?" Lena asked her siblings. "We've got Charms first." She looked at Calla grimly. "And then we have Defense Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon."

"We have Potions." Ethan said with interest. Calla and Lena looked at each other with a smile.

Charms was always fun for the girls. Being with a teacher like Professor Flitwick, every moment was amusing. The girls enjoyed learning new charms to use with their wands. They dreaded their afternoon class. Herbology with Professor Sprout second period was rather interesting because that day they had worked with Mandrakes, monstrous roots from a potted plant that screeched when you took them from the soot.

Calla and Lena reached their uncle's classroom just as he was walking in with Harry and the others.

"Why was Gilderoy acting as though you were his side kick, Harry?" Lena questioned when she sat down, taking out her textbook (that was more like a fairytale).

"You could've fried an egg on your face," said Ron. "You'd better hope that Creevy doesn't meet Ginny, or they'll be starting a Harry Potter fan club."

"Shut up," snapped Harry and Calla. Ron blinked at Calla, who folded her arms. Lena rested a hand on her sister's shoulder.

Harry did not have time to answer Lena's question, because when the rest of the class sat down in their seats, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of _Travels with Trolls,_ and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.

"Me," he said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most-Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by _smiling_ at her!" Lena and Calla scoffed and Hermione looked offended.

He waited for the class to laugh; a few people smiled weakly.

"I am also the loving uncle of these two lovely ladies, Miss Calla and Lena Lockhart," he said dramatically, resting a hand on either of the girls' shoulders. They were stiff as bricks, and Ron poked them to see if they would turn to ash. They didn't, but redness started to creep up their necks.

Gilderoy continued on. "I see you've all bought a complete set of my books - well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about - just to check how well you've read them, how much you'd taken in -" Calla and Lena folded their arms simultaneously and glared at their uncle. It was like they were putting a barrier in their heads and wishing that he would crash into it. He handed out the test papers and hesitated when he got to their desks, but placed a sheet of paper in front of them both. "You have thirty minutes - start - _now!"_

They all looked down at the test papers and read:

 _What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite color?_

 _What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?_

 _What, in your opinion is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?_

On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:

 _54\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would be his ideal gift?_

The girls cast angry glares at Gilderoy's direction and willed nasty words into his head.

 _This has nothing to do with magic!_ Calla shouted at him. He winced slightly.

 _We are not answering these stupid questions of yours!_ Lena screamed. The scream made even Calla's spine shiver. They both wrote quickly and heavily, writing random answers in each blank like:

 _Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite color is gray, because it's the color of his hair._

It got worse and worse up to Number 54. The girls smiled mischievously at each other as their uncle collected their papers and rifted through them in front of the class.

"Tut, tut - hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in _Year with the Yeti._ And a few of you need to read _Wanderings with Werewolves_ more carefully - I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples - though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey!"

He gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name.

"... but Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions - good girl! In fact - her flipped her paper over - full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?" Calla and Lena turned their heads to the suddenly scarlet face of Hermione, scowls on their faces. Hermione raised a trembling hand and avoided their eyes.

"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so - to business -"

He bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it. Calla and Lena raised an eyebrow at him.

"Now - be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

In spite of themselves, they leaned around their piles of books for a better look at the cage. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now. Neville was cowering in his front row seat.

"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."

As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover.

"Yes," he said dramatically. " _Freshly caught Cornish pixies."_

Seamus Finnigan couldn't control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn't mistake for a scream of terror.

"Yes?" He smiled at Seamus.

"Well they're not - they're not very - _dangerous,_ are they?" Seamus choked.

"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling his finger at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"

The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them.

"Right then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" And he opened the cage.

It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino. They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, causing even Calla and Lena to shriek. The pixies shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half of the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.

Lockhart tried and failed to freeze the pixies and fled for his life under his desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way. There was a mad rush toward the exit when the bell rang. Lena, Calla, Neville and the trio were almost to the door when Lockhart told them to nip the rest of the rest of them back into their cage." He swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him. Calla stifled a groan.

"Calla, Lena, take Neville to the hospital wing to Madam Pomfrey and make sure he's completely alright," Hermione said anxiously. The girls nodded and took Neville's arms and placed them around their shoulders, trudging his limping form to Madam Pomfrey.

 _Draco,_ Lena willed and willed into Draco Malfoy's mind.

 _Lena?_ Draco questioned.

 _Meet me near the hospital wing in ten minutes._ Lena said with a struggle as she carried Neville with her sister. _So you can explain to me what happened at Diagon Alley._

 _Alright…_ he replied hesitantly.

When Calla and Lena arrived to the hospital wing, Draco was leaning against the wall next to the entrance. Calla looked at her sister and then at Draco. Neville whimpered.

"Come on, Neville, almost there," Calla said encouragingly, hoisting an arm around his waist and taking him the rest of the way, leaving Lena to talk with Malfoy.

"What happened?" Draco asked when Lena stood in front of him.

"Gilderoy was stupid enough to bring a batch of fresh picked pixies and open the cage," Lena explained with a heavy sigh.

"Ah," Draco nodded with a slight smirk.

"You wipe that smirk off your face," Lena said harshly, causing Draco to frown. "I'm still mad at you."

Draco sighed heavily. "Why is it such a big deal, Lena?" he questioned her, crossing his arms over his chest. Lena flicked him on the forehead. "Ow!" he whined.

"It's a big deal because the Weasleys are my _friends,_ Draco," Lena snapped. "Fred, George, Ron, Percy, Ginny," she counted them off with her fingers, " _All_ of them are my friends, even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."

Calla came out of the hospital wing at that moment, eyeing the two. Draco glared at her, but the glare was quickly replaced by fear when Lena's eyes turned blood red.

"And you two need to _get along_ at some point too!" Lena huffed at her sister, who gaped at her. "You can't hate everyone I'm associated with, Draco," she prodded a finger at his chest.

"Alright, alright," he lifted his arms above his head and fast walked away from the sisters.

The next few days after that incident, the girls tried very hard in Gilderoy Lockhart's horrible Defense Against the Dark Arts class not to strangle him, and Harry just avoided his eye. Colin Creevy, on the other hand, was a lot harder to avoid. He had seemed to have memorized Harry's schedule, meaning that he had memorized all of their schedules. Even though the quintet knew that Colin was starting to get annoying, he didn't seem to notice, as he was just so pleased that Harry would say "Hello," to him.

Hedwig was still angry with Harry about the disastrous car journey and Ron's wand was still malfunctioning, surpassing itself on Friday morning by shooting out of Ron's hand in Charms and hitting tiny old Professor Flitwick squarely between the eyes, creating a large, throbbing green boil where it had struck. Lena and Calla had been the ones to take their poor Professor to the hospital wing. With one thing after another, they were all very much looking forward to the weekend. They were all planning on visiting Hagrid on Saturday morning. Harry, however, was shaken awake several hours earlier than he would have liked by Oliver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It had taken a little bit of explaining when Oliver had barged into the twins' room with Calla and Lena sleeping in the fort that Fred and George had made for them the previous evening.

"Quidditch practice you two!" Oliver had called to the bed-headed twins, who rubbed their eyes as soon as the door opened.

"Oliver," Calla asked sleepily, cradling a sleeping Eleanor in her arms, "it's the crack of dawn."

"Exactly," said Wood. He was a tall and burly sixth year and, at the moment, his eyes were gleaming with a crazed enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program. Come on, grab your brooms, and let's go," said Wood heartily. "None of the other teams have started training yet; we're going to be first off the mark this year-" Fred had thrown a pillow at the jabbering sixth year.

"We're up, alright, Wood?" Fred said grumpily, getting up and going to the wardrobe, tossing George his Quidditch robe.

"We'll meet you guys on the pitch later," Lena and Calla said sleepily, Calla scratching the top of her head. The twins nodded.

"See you, Oliver," Calla added, nudging him as they walked out of the room.

Lena and Calla made it to the Quidditch pitch only twenty minutes later, and found seats on the stands. Ron and Hermione joined them just as the team marched onto the field.

"Aren't you finished yet?" called Ron incredulously.

"Haven't even started," said Harry, looking jealously at the toast and marmalade Ron and Hermione had brought out of the Great Hall and were now sharing with Calla and Lena. "Wood's been teaching us new moves."

He mounted his broomstick and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. The cool morning air whipped his face, waking him far more effectively than Wood's long talk. It felt wonderful to be back on the Quidditch field. He soared right around the stadium at full speed, racing Fred and George.

"What's that funny clicking noise?" called Fred as they hurtled around the corner.

Harry looked into the stands. Colin was sitting in one of the highest seats, his camera raised, taking picture after picture, the sound strangely magnified in the deserted stadium.

"Look this way, Harry!" This way!" he cried shrilly.

"Who's that?" said Fred.

"No idea," Harry lied, putting on a spurt of speed that took him as far away as possible from Colin.

"What's going on?" said Wood, frowning, as he skimmed through the air toward them. "Why's that first year taking pictures? I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program."

"He's in Gryffindor," said Harry quickly.

"And the Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver," said George.

"What makes you say that?" said Wood testily.

"Because they're here in person," said George, pointing.

Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands.

"Uh oh," Ron said to Hermione, Calla and Lena, "I smell trouble." Lena spotted Draco's platinum blonde head in the midst of the team of Slytherins and pursed her lips. They crossed the grass.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's _he_ doing here?"

He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.

 **"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly, "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team." Calla rolled her eyes and Lena crossed her arms over her chest. Grudgingly she kept her mouth shut and Calla walked up next to Fred and George, who looked down at them.**

Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them." Calla rested a hand on Fred's arm, seeing him shift his weight.

 _He's not worth your time, Fred,_ she Kelted to him.

 _Fine…_ he replied, however grudgingly.

The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in," said Hermione sharply. " _They_ got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat. Calla and Lena covered their mouths. There was an instant uproar. Calla tried to hold Fred and George back from jumping on the blondie. Alicia shrieked, " _How dare you!",_ and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoy's face.

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end on Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass.

"Ron!" Lena and Calla shouted.

"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.

Ron was now constantly belching large, glistening slugs.

Lena marched, angrily, straight up to Draco and smacked him right on the side of the head. Fred and George sniggered with laughter. Draco looked at her straight in the face, showing no fear because of the people around him.

"You will pay, Draco Lucius Malfoy," Lena sneered, her eyes gleaming crimson. Draco stared after her blankly. Then she sprinted to catch up to her sister and the trio, who were now taking him to Hagrid's hut.

"Nearly there Ron," said Hermione as the gamekeeper's cabin came into view. "You'll be all right in a minute - almost there -"

They were within twenty feet of Hagrid's house when the front door opened, but it wasn't Hagrid who emerged. Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of palest mauve today, came striding out.

"Quick, behind here," Harry hissed, dragging Ron behind a nearby bush. The girls followed.

Lockhart rambled on about him being able to help Hagrid with something, to which Lena and Calla scoffed.

They waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled Ron out of the bush and up to Hagrid's front door. They knocked urgently. Hagrid appeared at once, looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was.

"Bin' wonderin' when you'd come ter see me - come in, come in - thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again -"

Harry and Hermione supported Ron over the threshold into the one-roomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in the other. Hagrid didn't seem perturbed by Ron's slug problem, which Harry hastily explained as he lowered Ron into a chair.

"Better out than in," he said cheerfully, plunking a large copper basin in front of him. Get em all up, Ron."

"I don't think there's anything to do except wait for it to stop," said Hermione anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. "That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand -"

Hagrid was bustling around making them tea. His boarhound, Fang, was slobbering Harry.

"What did our uncle want with you, Hagrid?" Lena and Calla asked.

"Givin me advice on gettin' kelpies out of a well," growled Hagrid, moving a half-plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and settling down the teapot. "Like I don' know. An' banging on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."

Calla and Lena laughed, causing Hermione to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"None of it is true," Calla said through a fit, "He told us a few summers ago that this would be a plan of his eventually." Harry looked at them with an eyebrow raised. Hagrid scoffed, but the girls noticed a smile through the large beard that covered his lips. Hermione tried to defend Gilderoy, but Hagrid explained that Lockhart was the only man that had willingly taken the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. He jerked his head to Ron.

"Who was he was tryin' ter curse?" Hagrid asked.

"Malfoy called Hermione something - it must've been really bad, because everyone went wild." said Harry.

"It was bad," said Ron hoarsely, emerging over the tabletop looking pale and sweaty.

"He called Hermione a Mudblood, Hagrid," Lena said with a huff.

"He didn'!" he growled at Hermione.

"He did," she said. "But I don't know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course -"

"It's about the most insulting thing he could think of," gasped Ron, coming back up. Calla rubbed his back gently. "Mudblood's a really awful name for someone who is Muggle born - you know, non-magic parents."

Hagrid jumped in. "There are some wizards - like the Malfoy family - who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood," Ron gave a small burp, and a single slug fell into his outstretched hand. He threw it into the basin.

"I mean, the rest of us know it doesn't make any different at all. Look at Neville Longbottom - he's pure-blood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up." Ron added.

"An' they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can' do," said Hagrid proudly, making Hermione go a brilliant shade of magenta.

"It's a disgusting name to call someone," Calla explained, rubbing Ron's back gently as Eleanor flew around the room, finding a spot on top of Hagrid's head. She giggled and Hagrid looked up at the pup with a smile.

"Dirty blood," Ron spat, "Common blood. It's ridiculous. Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles, we'd've died out." He retched and ducked out of sight again.

"Well, I don't blame yeh fer tryin' ter curse him, Ron," said Hagrid loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basin. "Bu' maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. 'Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter the school if yeh'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble."

Harry would've pointed out that trouble didn't come much worse than having slugs pouring out of your mouth, but he couldn't Hagrid's treacle fudge cemented his jaws together.

"Harry," said Hagrid abruptly as though struck by a sudden thought. The girls looked at Hagrid, Calla still having a hand on Ron. "Gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard you've bin givin' around signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"

Obviously furious, Harry wrenched his teeth apart. Calla and Lena glanced at each other with a small smile.

"I have _not_ been giving out signed photos," he said hotly, "If Lockhart's still spreading that around-"

But then he saw that Hagrid was laughing.

"You want us to rough him up for ya, Harry?" The girls asked immediately. Harry raised an eyebrow at the mischievous girls. They giggled. "He's our father's brother. He wouldn't do anything to us even if we did punish him a little. He knows that our father's magic is much more powerful than his will ever be." Harry shook his head a little, but a smile crept on his lips.

"I'm on'y joking, Harry," Hagrid said, patting Harry genially on the back and sending him face first into the table. "I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn't need teh. Yer more famous than him without trying." Calla and Lena nodded in agreement with the giant.

"Bet he didn't like that," said Harry, sitting up and rubbing his chin.

"Don' think he did," said Hagrid, his eyes twinkling. "An' then I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle fudge, Ron?" he added, as Ron reappeared.

"No thanks," said Ron weakly. "Better not risk it."

"Come an' see what I've bin growin'," said Hagrid as the four finished the last of their tea.

In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins Harry had ever seen. Each was the size of a large boulder.

"Well done Hagrid!" Lena and Calla exclaimed, gazing at the pumpkins with admiration.

"Thank yeh," Hagrid said with a smile. "Gettin' on well, aren't they?" he added happily. "Fer the Halloween feast… Should be big enough by then"

"What've you been feeding them?" said Harry.

Harry noticed Hagrid's flowery pink umbrella leaning against the back wall of the cabin. Harry had had reason to believe before now that this umbrella was not all it looked; in fact, he had the strong impression Hagrid wasn't supposed to use magic. He had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, but Harry had never found out why - any mention of the matter and Hagrid would clear his throat loudly and become mysteriously deaf until the subject was changed.

"An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" Calla wondered.

"Well, you've done a good job on them," Hermione added with slight disapproval and amusement.

"That's what yer little sisters said," said Hagrid, nodding Ron, Calla and Lena, who looked at each other. "Met em jus' yesterday." Hagrid looked sideways at Harry, his beard twitching. "Ginny said that she jus' lookin' round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin' she might run inter someone else at my house." He winked at Harry. "If yeh ask me, _she_ wouldn' say no to a signed -"

"Oh shut up," said Harry. Ron snorted with laughter and the ground was sprayed with slugs.

"Watch it!" Hagrid roared, pulling Ron away from his precious pumpkins.

It was nearly lunchtime and as Harry had only had one bit of treacle fudge since dawn, he was keen to go back to school to eat. They said good-bye to Hagrid and walked back up to the castle. Ron hiccoughing occasionally, but only bringing up two very small slugs.

"At least it's stopping, now," Lena said encouragingly. To which Ron nodded in response.

They had barely set foot in the cool entrance hall when a voice rang out. "There you are, Potter - Weasley." Professor McGonagall was walking toward them, looking stern. "You will both do your detentions this evening."

* * *

*** **That's all for now guys! Hope you are enjoying it so far! We have such exciting things planned for the future books, so please stay turned!*****

 **Sincerely yours,**

 **Miss Calla and Lena Lockhart :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"What are we going to be doing, Professor?" Ron asked her nervously, suppressing a burp.

Professor McGonagall looked between the two of them, a stern look on her face, "You, Mr. Weasley, will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch. And no magic allowed." She said, then turned to Harry.

Ron gulped, Argus Filch was the caretaker of the school and there was a mutual feeling of loathing between him and all the students.

"And you, Mr. Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail." Professor McGonagall continued to say to Harry.

Harry groaned, "Oh no…" He said, Lena and Calla placed a hand each on Harry's shoulders, sympathetically. "Can't I just go and polish the trophy room too?" he asked her desperately.

Professor McGonagall shook her head, "Certainly not." she answered. "Professor Lockhart requested you especially. Eight o'clock sharp for the both of you." she said before walking away.

And with that, Harry and Ron slouched into the Great Hall gloomily. Lena, Calla and Hermione walked in behind them; Hermione with a _well-you-did-break-the rules_ look on her face and Calla and Lena looking at Harry and Ron with slightly amused yet sympathetic look on their faces.

Once they were inside the Hall, Lena and Calla split away from the trio to go sit at the Ravenclaw table. They found Evie and Ethan already seated in front of a girl with blonde hair and a vacant expression on her face. Lena and Calla walked over to them and sat down on either side of their younger sister and brother; Lena next to Ethan and Calla next to Evie.

"How is school going so far you two?" Lena asked her younger brother and sister as she piled food onto her plate. Ethan and Evie smiled brightly.

"It's good! Classes here are a lot of fun and the teachers are really nice." Ethan answered.

"And we have Ginny in a few of our classes too!" Evie added with a smile on her face before turning to the girls sitting in front of her. "By the way, Luna, these two are our older sisters, Lena and Calla." she said, pointing to each sister in turn.

"Guys. This is our new friend Luna Lovegood! She's in most of our classes." Ethan added.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Evie and Ethan have told me about you guys." Luna said in a dreamy voice.

Lena and Calla smiled at Luna in greeting, "It's nice to meet you, Luna!" They said in unison.

The rest of lunch time was spent with the four siblings chatting happily with Luna and eating food. Soon, lunch had about ended and they were all free to leave the Great Hall and go about their own business. On her way out of the Great Hall with the others, Lena spotted Draco across the room, walking along with Crabbe and Goyle. He caught her eye and she glared fiercely at him, with narrowed eyes as she walked out the door with Calla, Evie and Ethan. Her glare directed towards Draco held a promise that the comment he had made about Hermione earlier was not forgotten and that he will most certainly pay for it.

Lena and Calla led their younger siblings through the large and confusing corridors. They led Ethan and Evie into the giant and green Quad where they found Fred and George sitting by the fountain.

* * *

As the day wore on, the Lockhart siblings, along with Fred and George, spent the rest of the day together, just talking and planning pranks. Then, it was finally dinner time so Fred and George had joined their other friends and Lena and Calla started walking to the Great Hall with their younger brother and sister in tow; until Lena spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She stopped in her tracks and jerked her head to the side to see Draco Malfoy leaning against the wall by a window, a slight frown on his face as he met Lena's eyes. Lena looked around and saw that there were only a few people left who were almost out of sight as well.

"Lena…?" Ethan asked her, causing Calla and Evie to stop and look back at their sister, also.

Lena looked at Ethan and smiled reassuringly, "You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up." she said. She then turned to face Calla and smirked, "I have a little lesson to teach a certain someone." She whispered dangerously, jerking her head towards where Draco stood, staring at Lena and the others.

Calla smirked in realization as she set her eyes on the platinum blonde boy. "Okay, see you in the Great Hall. Make sure he pays for it." She said, whispering the last part so only Lena could hear, then she turned around and led Evie and Ethan out of sight.

Lena sighed and turned around, stalking over to where Draco stood. He straightened himself up from his leaning position on the wall and grabbed her wrist when she drew closer to his reach.

"What are you doing?" She asked him harshly as he pulled her along with him.

Draco sighed and started to walk out of the hallway, heading to the Clock tower, which seemed to be completely empty by now.

"You can say whatever you want when we reach the Tower, okay? You'd have the entire Slytherin house against you if one of them found us in the Entrance Hall," Draco explained hesitantly. Lena sighed but nodded her head in submission.

Once they had reached the Clock Tower, Draco turned around and faced Lena. He let go of Lena's wrist and looked her dead in the eyes.

He sighed and hesitantly said, "Okay... go ahead."

Lena immediately went into a long rant, sounding much like Mrs. Weasley. "YOU IDIOT! Honestly? Did you expect to get away with insulting one of _my best friends_!? You do realize that even if I wasn't there, I would hear about it from Harry, Fred, George, Ron and Hermione right? That you were going to pay for that comment either way?" She took a deep breath before continuing, "AND WHAT MADE YOU THINK IT WAS EVEN OKAY TO SAY SUCH A WORD TO ANYONE? LET ALONE A FRIEND OF MINE! YOU KNOW WHAT, NO! EVEN IF IT WASN'T ONE OF MY FRIENDS, I WOULD STILL BE YELLING AT YOU JUST THE SAME FOR EVEN SAYING THAT WORD! You need to stop insulting and hating everyone I get along with Draco! You are not doing yourself any favors in their heads, just making them hate you even more!" She huffed and ended her long speech to him, her eyes glowing crimson and burning into his head.

"Sorry…" he said. She scowled at him.

"Oooohhhh NO! You are not getting away with this by _only_ apologizing to me! You are going to come with me and apologize to Hermione right now, in front of _everyone_!" she said as she grabbed him by his arms and started pulling him back down the way they had come.

"But - But Lena! I can't do that, the other Slytherins are going to be there..." He whined to her.

Lena looked over her shoulder at him, "I honestly don't care who is there! You said something offensive to someone, so if nobody else is going to do something, then I am." she said.

 _Hey Calla, Evie, Ethan. Can you guys hear me?_ Lena willed into her siblings' heads.

 _Lena? What's up?_ Calla, Evie and Ethan chorused back.

 _You'll find out in a minute or so, just go and sit at the Gryffindor table and save me a seat._ She said back. She turned around and looked over her shoulder at Draco, who seemed to have stopped fighting and was just scowling at the ground, his cheeks turning pink.

Once they finally reached the entrance to the Great Hall, Lena stopped and looked back at Draco, letting go of him.

"Okay, I'll go in ahead of you, but don't you dare think that you can run away right now." she said to him. She then smiled and walked into the Great Hall and took her seat between George and her younger siblings who both looked up at her questioningly, along with Calla, who had Fred's arm around her shoulders.

"So what happened? Why did you tell us to sit here?" Calla asked Lena.

Lena smiled at her and plainly said, "You'll see," as she looked smugly at the door, where Draco stood, cheeks pink and scowling.

"What did you do?" Harry asked her suspiciously as they all turned their attention to Draco, who was now slowly and begrudgingly walking towards where they all sat. Lena just smiled innocently, causing George to chuckle and throw his arm around her.

All eyes were now on Draco as he came to a stop in front of Hermione. His gaze flickered over to Lena, who looked back at him expectantly, and sighed. He held his head high and frowned down at the Hermione.

"I would just like to apologize for my behaviour with you earlier, Granger. So, I am very sorry for calling you such an uncivilized word. Would - would you please forgive me?" he said, frowning.

Harry, Ron, Fred, and George's jaws dropped in surprise when the words left Draco's mouth. Hermione looked at him surprise, but nodded all the same. Calla smirked, although a bit shocked and glanced over at Lena, who was smiling brightly and mischievously.

Draco nodded his head, "Thank you," he said before walking over to his friends on the Slytherin table.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Calla, Fred and George all turned their full attention towards Lena, George tousling her hair brotherly.

"How in Merlin's name did you do that? I thought Malfoy would have sooner died than apologize to someone," Harry said.

Lena shrugged and smirked at Harry, "All I did was tell him to apologize, with maybe a bit more persuasion," she said, her eyes flashing crimson for a second.

Ron shook his head at her, "You can be a bit scary sometimes, you know?" he said to her, causing her to giggle.

Professor Dumbledore suddenly started clapping his hands, causing everyone to focus their attention on him. "Well, I must say, I do not know why an apology was needed, but all the same, I am glad you have all forgiven each other," he said, as he stopped clapping and everyone proceeded back to dinner.

 _Do you forgive me now?_ Draco's voice said in Lena's mind.

She looked at him and smiled, _Yes, you are forgiven._ she replied, her warm brown eyes meeting his grey ones.

 _Thank you._ He said back as he began collecting food onto his plate. Lena shrugged and followed suit as she continued talking to the others.

* * *

Around eight o'clock, the students all started to leave the Great Hall and go back to their dorm rooms. Lena and Calla patted Harry on the back and wished him and Ron a good luck as the two boys headed towards their separate detentions. Lena and Calla then walked back to the Ravenclaw common room with Evie, Ethan, Fred and George. Once they answered the riddle given to them by the Eagle shaped knocker, they all entered and sat down on the couches close to the fire. There were not many people in the common room, so the group of six decided to just spend time together there.

The common room itself was one of the most airiest rooms in the entire school. It was a giant, circular room with a Greco-Roman type style to it; with marble statues of Rowena Ravenclaw, and an archway leading to a giant bookshelf. The domed ceiling was painted with stars, with midnight blue veils coming down the from the top of the ceiling, connecting to the walls and then hanging down from the wall. All the furniture in the room was bronze and various shades of blue, the majority being midnight or navy.

Fred and George took the smaller couch while Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie took up the big couch. Lena and Calla sat on the sides of the couches near the armrest and Ethan and Evie sprawled out in the middle of the couch, taking their shoes off and laying across it; Ethan's head rested on Lena's lap while Evie's rested on Calla's. Lena, Calla, Fred and George all followed suit, taking off their shoes and letting their feet feel the softness of the midnight blue carpeting on the floor.

"I don't get why you guys spend more place in the Gryffindor common room other than here," Fred said suddenly, looking up and the star-covered ceiling.

George nodded in agreement, "Yeah, honestly, this place is amazing." he added, looking around the room.

Lena and Calla giggled and shrugged their shoulders, their fingers unconsciously playing with Ethan and Evie's hair.

"I do really like our common room! It's amazing and such a reader's paradise." Lena started, running her hand through Ethan's already messy, chocolate brown hair as he closed his eyes.

"But the Gryffindor common room has more of a cozier feel to it! Although this common room is pretty cozy too." Calla finished, braiding Evie's long, dark brown and light caramel hair. Fred and George just chuckled and shook their heads.

The four Ravenclaws and two Gryffindors continued to talk animatedly for hours, other students coming through the entrance and not even giving them a second glance as they sleepily climbed the stairs behind one of the statues to get to their dorms. Finally, close to midnight, Fred and George bid the others goodnight and headed out of the door to get back to Gryffindor tower. Lena and Calla lightly shook Evie and Ethan - who had both fallen asleep a while ago - awake and led them sleepily up to their dorm. They all got changed into their PJs and settled into their beds. In a matter of minutes the four siblings had fallen asleep, curled up with their fuzzy blankets.

* * *

Time flew by at Hogwarts with the students busy with work and such, and before they knew it, October had arrived, spreading a cold chill through the grounds and castle. Madam Pomfrey was kept busy due to the sudden breakout of the cold that happened to be spreading through the students and staff. She had brewed many cauldrons of her Pepperup Potion just to keep up with all the ill people around the school. The potion worked almost instantly, although it did leave the drinker's ears smoking for several hours after taking it. Ginny, who seemed to be looking a bit ill, was forced into taking a dose of the potion by Percy, the smoke coming out of her ears, combined with her firey red hair made it seem like her head was on fire. Ethan and Evie also seemed to be sniffling and sneezing, so their older sisters immediately had them take the potion so their conditions didn't get any worse.

Along with the drop in temperature, came the thundering rain. It rained for days on end, causing the lake to overflow and the flowerbeds to become muddy, also making Hagrid's pumpkins grow the size of garden sheds. However, even the merciless weather could not dampen Oliver Wood's enthusiasm during their training sessions. That was one thing that Harry found out late one stormy Saturday when he stumbled back into the Gryffindor common room, soaked to the skin, shivering and tracking mud.

Even apart from the weather, according to what Harry, Fred and George had told Lena and Calla, practice was not a happy event. Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to spy on the Slytherin team, they had seen with their very eyes what the new brooms could do. They had grudgingly told the girls about how the Slytherin team were just seven green blurs streaking through the air.

That Saturday evening, Calla and Lena were sitting with Hermione and Ron working on homework when Harry came stumbling through the portrait hole, completely soaked. As soon as he walked over to them, he was immediately commanded by Lena, Calla and Hermione to go get changed and dry up before he said anything. Once he had finally returned down to his dorm room, clean and in a fresh pair of clothes, he explained to them about how he met up with Sir Nicholas who had invited Harry to his Deathday party.

"A Deathday Party?" Hermione asked, "I bet there aren't many living people who can say they have been to one of those, it will be fascinating!" she said.

"Why would anyone even want to celebrate the day they died?" Ron asked, glumly working on his potions homework. "It sounds pretty depressing to me." he added.

The Gryffindor common room was bustling with energy and life. Even though the rain was still pouring mercilessly outside, inside the room, people talked, laughed, and worked on their homework all around the fireplace. Lena and Calla had left the trio to work on their homework and had joined Fred and George, who were trying to discover what would happen if they fed a Filibuster Firework to a Salamander. The Salamander in question had been brought into the common room by Fred, who had grabbed it from the Care of Magical Creatures Class. The orange lizard was currently smouldering gently on a table.

Suddenly, there was a series of loud bangs and sparks as the Salamander flew off the table and started whizzing through the common room. Percy stalked over to Fred and George and yelled at them until his voice was hoarse as Lena and Calla sat on the floor close to the twins, laughing loudly and clutching their stomachs. Then, the Salamander shot a few last tangerine stars out of its mouth and then, finally, flew into the fire to escape.

A few days later, it was finally Halloween, the day of Sir NIcholas' Deathday Party. Lena and Calla knew that Harry didn't want to go to the party when he could have been enjoying the feast with the rest of the school. They had suggested on going with them to the party, but Harry and the others said that it was fine, since Lena and Calla were not in Gryffindor and they had never made the promise with Sir Nicholas so they should go enjoy the feast.

When it was finally time for the feast, Lena and Calla walked into the Great Hall with their excited younger siblings. Ethan and Evie's eyes widened as they stood at the doorway into the Great Hall, staring at everything inside in awe. They saw the pumpkins and live bats flying around the top of the giant room, Hagrid's pumpkins had been carved into giant jack-o-lanterns.

"Woah…" Ethan and Evie mumbled as they looked at everything in amazement.

Lena and Calla chuckled at their excitement. "Come on you two, we should probably find some good seats." Calla said as her and Lena walked into the room ahead of their brother and sister.

"Good seats for what?" Evie asked in confusions, looking at her sisters.

Lena turned around to face them and walked backwards so she could talk to them, "Rumor has it, Professor Dumbledore booked some dancing skeletons for entertainment this year." she said to them, her eyes turning silver in her own excitement. Evie and Ethan perked up when they heard this news and they hurried along with their sisters to find seats on the table. Fortunately, they all found seats close to the middle of the table, next to Cho and Luna.

The feast went on splendidly, and the rumors were also correct, as a few minutes into the feast, a group of skeletons walked through the door and started dancing in front of the Head Table. It was quite an amusing yet creepy sight to the Lockhart siblings. The feast itself was incredible, there was roasted chicken, various types of pasta, and much more, varied dishes. Then, for dessert, there was pudding, pumpkin cakes, custard and ice cream, along with giant bowls of candy everywhere. All the students enjoyed the feast greatly, eating as much as they could and talking to their friends while watching the dancing skeletons.

Finally, when the feast ended, the students all filed out together, heading down a second floor corridor where they would break off and go back to their common rooms. But suddenly, when they reached a hallway, everyone seemed to stop, and all conversation seemed to die down.

 _What's going on?_ Evie asked her older sisters. Lena and Calla both shrugged.

 _I don't know, but let's go and see._ Calla said and her and Lena began guiding Ethan and Evie through the large crowd towards the front.

As, they reach the front of the crowd, Lena and Calla gasped and stopped abruptly. They blocked the view from their younger siblings as they saw Harry, Hermione and Ron standing in the middle of the hall, Mrs. Norris dangling from the wall and a message written on the wall in blood.

 _THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED._

 _ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE._

Then, a certain voice shouted from the front of the crowd on the other side of the Hall.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next mudbloo..." Draco trailed off as he saw Lena at the front within earshot. Although he might have stopped himself from saying the word, he still looked very pleased, his cold grey eyes seemed to shine as he grinned at Mrs. Norris.

"What's going on here?" the harsh voice of Filch came from the crowd as he shouldered his way to the front. When he reached the front, his eyes fell on Mrs. Norris and he fell back, staring in horror.

"M-My cat! What has happened to Mrs. Norris?" He shrieked. His eyes then fell on Harry, " _You!_ You did this! You murdered my cat! You killed her! I'm going to kill you!" Filch shouted at Harry.

"Argus!" Dumbledore yelled as he arrived at the front of the crowd, followed by several other teachers. He walked straight past Harry Ron and Hermione and removed Mrs. Norris from where she hung. "Argus, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, come with me." he said calmly.

Fred and George had made it to the front, beside Lena and Calla by now, helping them sheild Ethan and Evie from the view in front. Much to Lena and Calla's dismay, Professor Lockhart chose this moment to step up and say something.

"My office is the nearest sir, feel free to-." he started but was interrupted.

"Thank you, Gilderoy." Dumbledore said hastily and the crowd parted to let them through. Lockhart followed behind Dumbledore along with Professor McGonagall and Snape. Lena and Calla rolled their eyes in annoyance at the look of importance on Lockhart's face, causing Fred and George to sling an arm around their shoulders.

"Come on you guys," Fred and George said together, turning the four Lockhart siblings around and led them down the hallway, "Let's get you to your dorm." they said, leading them towards Ravenclaw tower.

The crowd started to disperse, a few people glancing at the note on the wall as they all walked through the hall to their own dorms and common rooms.

* * *

For the next few days, the main topic of all conversations was about the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch would never let anyone forget about it, he kept pacing up and down the place where she had been attacked. He tried wiping the message away from the wall, but it didn't work, the place where the message had been written turned faintly red, even though the blood was wiped away, the message was still there. Also, if Filch was not guarding the scene of the attack, he was sulking through the halls, trying to put unsuspecting students into detention for ridiculous reasons such as looking too happy.

The attack had seemed to affect some of Harry's friends as well; Hermione, Lena and Calla spent more time than usual, in the library, looking through various different books and other things. Even if Calla seemed to take a break every now and then to leave the library and do some other things, Lena and Hermione spent most of their time in the library, not telling the others what they were doing. Calla and Lena also seemed to be a bit more cautious with their siblings, making sure they were okay, and telling them never to go anywhere alone; afraid that something might happen to them.

One day, Harry, Ron and Calla were sitting on a table, working on their homework. Harry had just told them about how when Justin Finch-Fletchley completely avoided him in the hallway after he had left Potions class. Ron told him that he shouldn't care about what Justin did. He was talking about how he always thought Justin was a bit of an idiot to think Lockhart was so great. He stopped suddenly as Lena and Hermione came walking to them from between some bookshelves, Hermione looking irritable and Lena just looking plain exhausted.

"All the copies of _Hogwarts: A History_ have been checked out." Hermione complained as her and Lena sat down on the only two remaining seats left at the table. "I knew I should have brought my own copy from home but it wouldn't fit in my trunk with all the other books." she said.

Lena sighed and rubbed her eyes with her hands, "And there is like a two-week waiting list for the books too..." she said. Calla sighed in frustration.

"Of course there is… I think we had a copy of it at home too, but we forgot to bring it." Calla said.

"Why do you three want it so badly?" Harry asked them.

"The same reason everyone else wants it." Calla said.

"To read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets." Hermione explained.

"What's that?" Harry asked them quickly.

"That's just it!" Hermione said, "I can't remember what it was." she added.

"And we can't find it in any other books anywhere here either…" Lena said, leaning back in her seat.

"Hermione, can I see your composition?" Ron asked Hermione, checking his watch nervously.

"No you cannot, you have had ten days to work on it, Ron." she said just as the bell rang.

They all got up an headed over to their History of Magic class, Ron and Hermione leading the way while bickering.

Once they had reached their classroom, they all took a seat in at their tables as class started. Ron and Hermione sat at one table, Calla and Harry sat at the table beside them, and finally, Lena sat at the third table with Neville. Lena smiled at Neville in greeting as she sat down, putting her bag on the floor beside her.

As class started, Professor Binns began his flat droning lecture on different events in history. A few minutes into the lecture, Lena and Calla had given up on trying to take notes, and were now doodling and scribbling on their parchments while talking to each other in their minds. Then, half an hour into the lecture, something happened that had never happened before, Hermione had raised her hand.

Professor Binns looked up from his notes in amazement and started to speak, "Yes Miss… er…"

"Granger, sir." Hermione said, putting her hand down. "Sir, I was just wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." she said loudly.

The effect of her words was evident immediately. Many people, who had been mindlessly gazing at the walls or out of windows snapped out of their trance, Neville's elbow slipped from the table and he nearly fell forward, and Lena and Calla immediately stopped their silent conversation and focused their full attention on Professor Binns.

"Miss Granger, My subject is HIstory of Magic, I deal with facts, not myths and legends." He said dryly, then looked back down at his notes. He was about to continue his lecture when he noticed Hermione's hand waving in the air again. "Yes, Miss Granger?" he asked.

"Sir, don't all legends have a basis on facts, though?" she asked him.

Professor Binns sighed, Lena, Calla and Harry doubted anyone had ever interrupted him before, but then he closed his notes and put them away. "Very well." he said. "But I must say, the legend you ask about is a very sensational and ludicrous tale…" he said. He looked around and noticed that all the students were now hanging on to his every word. He looked at them all, thrown off at the amount of interest they had on this subject.

"Let's see… The Chamber of Secrets…" He began. "You all know, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by four witches and wizards of the age. The four school houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They had all built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an era when Magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered persecution. "

He looked around the room and then continued, "For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out young ones who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But, then, disagreements sprang up between them. A rift was created between Slytherin and the others. He wished to be more selective about the choice of students admitted into the school. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked the students with Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument between Slytherin and Gryffindor, causing Slytherin to leave the school." he explained.

"It has been said in legend, that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, which the other founders knew nothing about. Slytherin, according to the stories, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir returned to the school. The heir alone would be able to open the Chamber of Secrets and unleash the horrors within it, purging the school of all who, in Slytherin's eyes, were unworthy to study magic." he finished.

The silence that followed his words was not the usual silence in a History of Magic class. The atmosphere grew tense as the students took in the story. They all watched Professor Binns in hope that he would tell them more.

"The whole thing is just nonsense if you ask me." He said in annoyance, "Naturally, the school has been searched many times and no such chamber has been found. It does not exist," he told them all.

This time, Lena's hand was the one in the air, "Sir, what exactly do you mean by the 'horrors within' the Chamber?" she asked him, curiously.

"The horrors, refer to some type of monster that is believed to be inside the Chamber." Professor Binns answered, "Something only the heir of Slytherin can control."

Lena and Calla exchanged uneasy looks with each other.

"I tell you, the thing does not exist." Professor Binns insisted, "There is no Chamber and no monster," he said.

"But sir." Seamus Finnegan said, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's heir, no one else would be able to find it, right?" he asked.

"Nonsense," Professor Binns said in aggravation. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmaster and headmistresses would have found it-"

"But Professor, " Parvati Patil interrupted, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it-" she started.

"Just because somebody chooses not to do Dark Magic, does not mean they cannot do it." Professor Binns snapped, "And I repeat, if Dumbledore couldn't find it then-"

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't," Dean Thomas tried to say, but Professor Binns had reached his limit.

"That will do, all of you." he said sternly, "It is a myth! It does not exist. There is no such evidence that says that Slytherin ever built anything such as that. I regret even telling you about this foolish old legend. Now…" he said opening his notes back up, "We will be returning to actual history now, with solid facts." he said.

And with that, within five minutes, the entire class had gone back to their usual, sleepy stupor. Lena and Calla had now started talking to Hermione in their minds, going over what Professor Binns had just told them.

* * *

"I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loon," Ron said to Harry, Hermione, Lena and Calla as they all left their class. They were walking through the Halls on their way to drop their bags off before dinner. "But I never thought he was the one who started this entire blood status thing. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I would have gotten on the train back home." he said.

Hermione, Lena and Calla nodded their heads in agreement but Harry stayed silent. Lena and Calla guessed that he must be hiding something but decided not to press it too much.

As they walked through the hallways, they passed by Colin Creevey.

"Hiya, Harry!" Colin said excitedly.

"Hello, Colin." Harry said, automatically.

"Harry! A boy in my class said you're-" Colin started to say but was cut off when he was pushed away with the crowd of people. He tried to push through them, but he was too small to get to Harry and the others. "See you Harry!" was the last thing he heard him say as he was pushed into the Great Hall with the others.

"What would a boy in his class be saying about you?" Calla asked Harry.

Harry shrugged, "That I am the heir of Slytherin, I suspect." Harry answered her.

"People here will believe anything." Ron said in irritation.

The crowd going down the hallway seemed to thin as they made their way up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Do you _really_ think that there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Hermione, Lena and Calla.

"I don't know," Hermione answered, frowning slightly. "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me wonder if that thing that attacked her was - well - human…" she said.

They turned the corner as Hermione said this and they found themselves in the very hallway where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. They stopped in their tracks as they looked down the hallway. It all looked the same as it did that night except that there was a chair against the wall where the message was written.

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard." Ron mumbled. They looked around and saw that there was nobody else in the hallway.

"Can't hurt to have a little look around." Harry said, dropping his bag and getting on his hands and knees. He crawled around, looking for any clues on the walls or anything.

"There are scorch marks everywhere!" He said.

"Look at this!" Hermione said, "This is funny.." she said.

Everyone walked to where Hermione stood, pointing at something. They followed Hermione's finger and saw several dozen spiders all scuttling quickly to get through the small crack in the glass.

"Have you ever seen them act like this before?" Hermione asked the others. Lena and Calla shuddered and both took a step backwards.

"No." Harry answered, "Have any of you guys?" he asked the others. He turned around and saw all three of them standing far away from the window.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked them.

"I don't like spiders." Ron said tensely, Lena and Calla nodded their heads.

"Yeah, spiders freak us out too." Calla said.

"Well, I knew that about Lena and Calla, but I never knew that about you, Ron." Hermione said. "You have used them in potions several times." Hermione said.

"I don't mind if they're dead." Ron said. "I just don't like them alive." he said, causing Hermione to giggle.

"It's not funny!" Ron said, "I've hated them since I was three and Fred accidentally turned my teddy bear into a spider because I broke his toy broomstick. You wouldn't like them either if one moment you were holding your bear and it suddenly had eight legs." Ron mumbled the last part.

Harry noticed Hermione still trying not to laugh, Calla was shaking her head while smiling lightly, and Lena rolled her eyes, trying not to smile as she patted Ron's shoulder.

"Remember that water on the floor? Where did it come from?" Harry asked the others, changing the subject.

"It was right around here." Ron said, walking past Filch's chair and pointing somewhere. "Close to this door," he said. he reached for the doorknob, then recoiled his hand.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked him.

"We can't go in there." Ron answered, "It's the girls' toilet."

"Nobody is going to be in there anyway Ron." Calla said as her, Lena and Hermione walked over to the door. Harry and Ron gave them confused looks.

"That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Now, come on," Hermione said, ignoring the sign on the door and walking right in.

The bathroom was gloomy and seemed like it hadn't been used in decades. The stone sinks were chipped, and the large mirror was cracked and covered in dust. The lit candles were burning low in their holders, shining their light on the damp floor. The cubicle doors were scratched, flaking and one door hung off its hinges.

Hermione put her finger to to her lips, telling the boys to be quiet, then gestured for Lena to continue forward.

Lena nodded her head and silently made her way to the last cubicle, followed closely behind by Hermione, Calla, Ron and Harry. "Hello, Myrtle, how are you today?" Lena asked nicely when she reached the cubicle.

Ron and Harry leaned forward and looked inside to find Myrtle, hovering over the toilet.

"This is a girls' bathroom." Myrtle said angrily, eyeing Ron and Harry, "They're not girls." she pointed out.

"No." Hermione agreed, "We just wanted to show them how… nice it is in here." she explained.

"Ask her if she saw something," Harry mouthed to the girls.

"What are you whispering?" Myrte asked, staring at Harry. Lena and Calla's palms touched their face as they sighed at Harry.

 _You could have talked to us like this Harry..._ Calla pointed out, willing the words into Harry's mind.

"Nothing, nothing." Harry said quickly, "We just wanted to ask-"

"I wish people would stop talking behind my back!" Myrtle choked out, tears in her eyes. "I _do_ have feelings you know, even if I am a ghost!" she said.

"No. We know Myrtle, we didn't want to upset you." Lena and Calla said quickly, trying to console the ghost.

"Myrtle, no one wanted to upset you," Hermione added, "Harry was only-"

"No one wants to upset me! That's a good on!" Myrtle cut Hermione off, "My life has been nothing but misery here, and then people have to come and ruin my death too!" she said angrily.

"We wanted to ask you if you had seen anything funny lately." Hermione said quickly. Calla and Lena nodded their heads.

"That's right, you see, a cat was attacked right outside your door on Halloween..." Calla added.

"Did you see anything here that night?" Harry asked her.

"I wasn't paying attention." Myrtle answered. "Peeves had upset me so much that I had come back here and tried to kill myself. Then, obviously, I remember that I'm - I'm-"

"Already dead," Ron said, helpfully, causing Myrtle to let out a loud sob.

 _You have to be a bit more sensitive, Ron._ Lena said in Ron's head. Her and Calla tried to say something, but were cut off by Myrtle diving down into the toilet, sobbing and splashing them all with water.

Ron and Harry gaped at the toilet Myrtle had just disappeared down, but Hermione, Lena and Calla just shrugged.

"Honestly guys, that was almost cheerful for Myrtle," Hermione informed them, her, Lena and Calla seemed to be used to the mood of the female ghost. "Come on, let's get out of here." Hermione said.

They had all exited the bathroom and Harry had just closed the door when a booming voice made them all jump.

"RON!"

Percy Weasley had stopped dead in his tracks on the stairs. His prefect badge gleamed in the light and he wore a look of complete shock on his face.

"That was the girls' bathroom." he said, "What were you-?"

"Just having a look around." Ron said indifferently, shrugging his shoulders, "Looking for clues and such…" He said.

"Get. Away. From. There." Percy said as he walked over to them and started guiding them away. "Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone else is at dinner," he scolded them.

"Why shouldn't we be here?" Ron said stubbornly, stopping and turning around to face Percy. "Listen, we never touched that cat!" he said, glaring at Percy.

"That's what I told Ginny." Percy said angrily, "But she still thinks you are going to get expelled. She was really upset, you know? Crying her eyes out. You might think of her, all the first-years are very emotional from this situation," he said.

"You don't even care about Ginny!" Ron shot back, his ears turning red, "You only care about if I'm going to somehow mess up your chances of becoming Head Boy!" he said back. Lena and Calla sighed and exchanged an exasperated look.

"Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said harshly. "And no more detective work, or I'll write to Mum." Percy said as he walked away.

* * *

Lena and Calla split off from Harry and Hermione and headed over to the Ravenclaw Tower. They walked through the door and found Evie and Ethan sitting at one of the tables. Lena and Calla walked over to them and sat down on the chairs.

"Hey you two!" They said.

"Hi!" Evie said back, looking up from her homework.

"Why weren't you guys at dinner?" Ethan asked them.

"We were with Harry, Hermione and Ron and we got caught up in something." Calla answered back. Her and Lena opened their bags and took out their own homework.

"Oh, okay." Ethan said, getting back to his work.

They all worked on their homework for a while, Lena and Calla helping Evie and Ethan occasionally, when they didn't understand something. When suddenly, Hermione's voice rang in Lena and Calla's heads.

 _Hey you guys, we have a plan but we are going to need your help._ Hermione said in their minds. Lena and Calla looked at each with a curious expression.

 _What's up?_ Lena said back.

 _So, we think the heir of Slytherin might be Draco Malfoy, so to confirm it, we are going to make a Polyjuice potion and turn into some of his friends. But the book that has the instructions to make the potion is no doubt, going to be in the Restricted Section of the library. So, we thought that maybe, we could ask Professor Lockhart to sign the book out to us. That is where we need your help._ Hermione explained.

Lena sighed and shook her head, _Just because Draco might be a bit of a jerk sometimes, doesn't mean he is the heir of Slytherin you guys,_ she said.

Calla chuckled and rolled her eyes, _We'll help you get permission from Uncle Gilderoy, but we are not going to talk to him alone._ She said to Hermione.

 _Alright, that's fine! Thank you both!_ Hermione said, and the conversation ended.

 _He really isn't as bad as you guys think…_ Lena said in Calla's mind, causing her to chuckle as they continued doing their work.

 _Well, he'll have to prove that for me to believe it._ Calla replied.

They worked on their homework for another hour or so, before packing up and going to their room. They all changed and bid each other a goodnight as they got into their beds, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

 **Well I hope you enjoyed the chapter! That's it for now! The next chapter is going to be pretty interesting, so stay tuned! Don't forget to Reveiw, Favorite and Follow!**

 **~Lena and Calla Lockhart**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ever since the pixie incident, Professor Lockhart hadn't brought any more live creatures to the class. Instead, he read passages from his books to them, sometimes reenacted some of the dramatic bits. He usually picked Harry to help him with these reconstructions; so far, Harry had been forced to play a simple Transylvanian villager whom Lockhart had cured of a Babbling Curse, a yeti with a head cold, and a vampire who had been unable to eat anything except lettuce since Lockhart had dealt with him.

Harry was hauled to the front of the class during their very next Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, this time acting a werewolf. If he hadn't had a very good reason for keeping Lockhart in a good mood, he would have refused to do it.

"Nice loud howl, Harry - exactly - and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced - like this - _slammed_ him to the floor - thus - with one hand, I managed to hold him down - with my other, I put my wand to his throat - I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm - he let out a piteous moan - go on, Harry - higher than that - good - the fur vanished - the fangs shrank - and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective - and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly torture of werewolf attacks."

Lena and Calla glared at their uncle and sighed heavily as they remembered what they had promised to do for the trio. Though they were not doing it alone, they still dreaded having to do it at all.

"Homework - compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of _Magical Me_ to the author of the best one!" The bell rang and the class began to file out of the room.

"Ready?" Harry muttered to them. They nodded grimly as they put their stuff back in their bags. The sisters silently approached their uncle with Ron and Harry waiting for them in quiet conversation. Hermione walked up with them, though she was slightly shaking with nervousness.

"Uncle Gilderoy," Calla said as they approached his desk, a piece of paper in her hand. He turned around and looked down at them, a smile on his face. She tried her best to return it.

"Yes, girls?" he asked, slightly eyeing the piece of paper.

"We wanted to - to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading," Hermione stammered. Calla held out the piece of paper in her hand.

"The thing is," Lena said, "it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so we need a teacher to sign for it - I'm sure it would us understand what you say in _Gadding with Ghouls_ about slow-acting venoms-" she was cut off immediately by Lockhart.

"Ah, _Gadding with Ghouls!"_ said Lockhart, taking the note from Calla and smiling widely. "Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed, did you, my brilliant little nieces?"

"Oh yes," Hermione answered for them, seeing the looks on their faces. "So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer -" Lena and Calla looked at each other and in their minds they were howling with laughter.

"Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best students of the year a little extra help," said Lockhart warmly, and he pulled out an enormous peacock quill. "Yes, nice isn't it?" he said, misreading the revolted look on Ron's face. "I usually save it for book-signings." He scrawled an enormous loopy signature on the note and handed it back to Calla.

"So, Harry," said Lockhart, while Calla folded the note and slipped it into her bag. "Tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was a Seeker, too. I was asked to try for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players…"

Harry, Calla and Lena made an indistinct noise in their throats and then hurried off after Ron and Hermione.

"I don't believe it," he said, as the five of them examined the signature on the note, "He didn't even look at the book we wanted."

"As soon as you mention a work of his, it doesn't matter what you want." Lena sighed heavily, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's because he's a brainless _git,"_ said Ron. "But who cares, we've got what we needed -"

"He is _not_ a brainless git," said Hermione shrilly as they half ran toward the library. Calla and Lena rolled their eyes at her. Ron start to say something, but they had to lower their voices as they entered the library. Madam Pince, the librarian, was a thin, irritable woman who looked like an underfed vulture.

" _Monte Potente Potions?"_ she repeated suspiciously, taking the note from Calla.

"I was wondering if - if I could keep it?" Hermione said breathlessly.

"Oh, come on," said Ron, nudging her in the side, "We'll get you another autograph. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough."

Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery; but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's out-of-order bathroom once again. Hermione had overridden Ron's objections by pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so they were guaranteed some privacy. Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but they were ignoring her, and she them.

"Here it is!" said Hermione excitedly once the girls had found the page headed _The Polyjuice Potion._ It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. Harry sincerely hoped the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces.

"This is the most complicated potion I've ever seen," said Hermione scanning the recipe with Lena and Calla.

"Very intricate…" Calla said nodding. 'Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass," she muttered.

"This is going to take some time to complete," Lena said, looking up at Harry and Ron.

"The ingredients are easy enough to achieve," Hermione said, "They're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves… Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn - don't know where we're going to get that -" Lena and Calla shared a concerned look with each other "Shredded skin of a boomslang - that'll be tricky too - and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into."

"Excuse me?" said Ron sharply. "What d'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking _nothing_ with Crabbe's toenails in it -"

Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard him.

"We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last…"

Ron turned, speechless, to Harry, who had another worry.

"D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, guys? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea…"

Hermione shut the book with a snap, causing Calla and Lena to jump slightly.

"Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine," she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. Calla and Lena exchanged a worried glance. " _I_ don't want to break the rules, you know. _I_ think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in-"

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules," said Ron. "All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?" Calla and Lena giggled.

"We're not turning into anybody, guys," Calla said simply. "Just so you know."

"We're just going to help Hermione with the potion. We're here to set a 'good example for Evie and Ethan'," Lena added.

"And plus, we don't know who _we'd_ turn into with the Slytherins… Crabbe and Goyle are Malfoy's posse." Hermione shrugged her shoulders and nodded.

"Alright," Harry said. "How long will it take to make, anyway?" said Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days… I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients."

"A month?" said Ron. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!" Lena crossed her arms over her chest.

"He's not _that_ bad!" Lena whined. "Once you get to know him…" Ron rolled his eyes. Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say." he finished. Calla patted her pouting sister on the back, laughter being suppressed.

However, while Hermione was checking that the coast was clear for them to leave the bathroom, Ron muttered to Harry, "It'll be a lot less hassle if you can just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow." Calla giggled and a slight smile spread across Ron's lips.

Nervous energy spread through Harry when he woke on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Quidditch match. He was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing brooms gold could buy. After an hour of lying there with his insides churning, he got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where he found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and speaking much.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron, Hermione, and the Lockhart siblings came hurrying over to wish Harry and the twins good luck as he entered the locker rooms. Calla and Lena were wearing matching Gryffindor hats that Fred and George had lent them for the match.

 _Beat those Slytherins!_ Calla Kelted to the twins from the stands.

As the team walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three… two… one…"

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around the Snitch.

"All right there, Scarhead?" yelled Malfoy, shooting underneath him as though to show off the speed of his broom. The yell had been loud enough for Lena and Calla to hear, and they glared at Malfoy from their seats.

 _Malfoy better watch it,_ Calla said harshly.

 _If I have to, I'll make him pay again._ Lena said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.

"Close one, Harry!" said george, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again.

Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head. Lena and Calla gasped at the Bludger, crossing their fingers for Harry.

Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. He could hear the Bludger whistling behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible…

Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.

"Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed. No one had a clue what was going on. Lena and Calla kept sending messages to Fred and George as they continued to try and settled the Bludger.

 _What's wrong with the Bludger, guys?_ the girls asked simultaneously.

 _Someone's - tampered - with - it_ Fred grunted back, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry.

"We need time out," George said audibly, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time. Wood had obviously gotten the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

"What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," George said angrily. "Someone's fixed it - it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" said Wood, anxiously.

Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and point in his direction.

 _What's going on, Fred?_ Calla willed into his head.

 _Harry's suggested that he'll take on the rogue Bludger by himself,_ he replied with a huff.

 _That's crazy!_ Calla exclaimed, shaking her head.

 _But if we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match…_ Fred sighed heavily.

 _Why does Harry always have to be the hero?_ Calla said, a slight smile crossing her lips. Lena raised an eyebrow at her.

 _We're continuing the game,_ Fred ended the conversation there.

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind him.

"The Bludger was tampered with," Calla explained to the others, who were all looking at her at this point. "But Harry has made the team keep playing."

"So _that's_ why it's been aiming at him all match!" Ethan exclaimed, hitting the palm of his hand to his forehead. Calla nodded.

"Why would Harry make them keep playing?" Evie asked, watching as Harry flew upwards, searching for the Snitch.

"Because if they stopped now," Ron said, "they would have to forfeit to Slytherin." The looks on Evie's face was one of understanding.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" yelled Malfoy, as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy with hatred, he saw it - _the Golden Snitch._ It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear - and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it.

For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch.

WHAM.

He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side - the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time aiming at his face - Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in his numb brain; _get to Malfoy._

"What does Harry think he's doing?!" Lena exclaimed. "His arm was definitely broken by that hexed Bludger!" She watched Harry through the haze of rain that pelted the ground.

"He's trying to get at Draco!" Ethan shouted at once, "Maybe he's seen the Snitch!"

Everyone saw Malfoy's sneering face turn into fear when his eyes widened. He had thought that Harry was trying to attack him.

Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.

"Harry!" Lena, Calla, Ron and Hermione shouted from the stands. With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, a though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

"Aha," he said vaguely. "We've won."

He came around, only when he felt the rain falling on his face, and Calla had shaken him until he had come to. He was still lying on the field. He saw a glitter of teeth as Calla was being pushed out of his point of view.

"Oh, no, not you," he moaned.

"Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around him. "Not to worry, Harry, I'm about to fix your arm."

 _No he isn't,_ Lena and Calla accidentally sent to Harry's head, causing him to look at her. _He's going to make it worse._ They were being held back by Ron and Hermione, looking as if they might kill Lockhart.

" _No!"_ said Harry. "I'll keep it like this, thanks…"

He tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. He heard a familiar clicking noise nearby.

"I don't want a photo of this, Colin," he said loudly.

"Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly. "It's a simple charm I've used it countless times -"

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth.

"He should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood, who couldn't help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say -"

"Oliver, he's injured," Calla interjected, pulling out of Ron's grasp. "Stop congratulating him." Through the thicket of legs around him, Harry spotted Fred and George Weasley, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.

"Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.

"No - don't -" said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm.

A strange and unpleasant sensation started at Harry's shoulder and spread all the way down to his fingertips. It felt as though his arm was being deflated. He didn't dare look at what was happening. He had shut his eyes, his face turned away from his arm, but his worst fears were realized as the people above him gasped and Colin Creevey began clicking away madly. His arms didn't hurt anymore - nor did it feel remotely like an arm.

"Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing - oh, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, Lena, Calla, would you escort him? - and Madam Pomfrey will be able to - er - tidy you up a bit." Evie and Ethan looked up at their older sisters.

 _You guys can come to._ Lena and Calla said. To which, they nodded.

"Gladly, Gilderoy," Calla huffed at her uncle, waiting for Harry to get to his feet and steady himself. It seemed that Lockhart hadn't mended his bones. Instead, he had removed them.

Madam Pomfrey was not at all pleased.

"You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been a working arm. "I can mend bones in a second - but growing them back -"

"It wasn't our fault, Madam Pomfrey! _We_ wanted to take Harry straight to you - Professor Lockhart wouldn't let us!" Lena defended. Madam Pomfrey sighed heavily but gave the girls a grim smile.

"You will be able to fix this, won't you?" said Harry desperately.

"I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful," said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pajamas. "You'll have to stay the night…"

The girls waited outside the curtain drawn around Harry's bed while Ron and Ethan helped him into his pajamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve.

"How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh?" Ron called through the curtain as he pulled Harry's limp fingers through the cuff. "If Harry had wanted deboning he would have asked."

"Anyone can make a mistake," said Hermione. The Lockhart girls all rolled their eyes and crossed their arms across their chests. "And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it Harry?"

"No," said Harry, getting into bed. "But it doesn't do anything else either."

As he swung himself onto the bed, his arm flapped pointlessly

The girls came around the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labeled _Skele-Gro._

"You're in for a rough night, Potter," she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business."

So was taking Skele-Gro. It burned Harry's mouth and throat as it went down, making him cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving the others to help Harry gulp down some water.

"We won, though," said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. "That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face… he looked ready to kill…"

"I want to know how he fixed that Bludger," said Hermione darkly, causing Lena to pout and cross her arms.

"He's not _that_ evil!" she whined.

"We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask him when we've taken the Polyjuice Potion," said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. "I hope it tastes better than this stuff…"

"If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking," said Ron.

 _What Polyjuice Potion?_ Ethan and Evie asked Lena and Calla silently.

 _We'll explain later._ The girls replied.

At that moment, the door to the hospital wing burst open. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry. Fred and George slung muddy arms around Lena and Calla, causing them to squeal slightly, as they felt the mud drip on their clothes.

"Unbelievable flying, Harry," said George, messing up Lena's hair with a dirty hand. "I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not even noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy." Calla smirked and Lena narrowed her eyes at her.

They had brought cakes, sweets and bottles of pumpkin juice; they gathered around Harry's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regorew! Out! OUT!"

And Harry was left alone, with nothing to distract him from the stabbing pains in his limp arm.

"You guys didn't actually think Madam Pomfrey would let us spend more time with Harry, did you?" Lena asked, looking around at her siblings as she started to write a letter to their parents.

"I mean, I expected a little more than just fifteen minutes…" Ethan said, pouting as he scratched Orion behind the ears. The arctic fox was still slightly recovering, but he was doing much better than when Ethan had first found him a few months ago. Hercules, Evie's tabby cat, was just roaming on the desk beside Lena, jumping from the dresser to the bed and to the floor in just a few seconds. "I simply wanted to ask him about his Quidditch techniques… I may want to try-out sometime."

"You can ask Fred and George any time, you know that, right?" Calla said encouragingly, pulling her hair into a top-knot above her head. "They'd love to share techniques with you." Evie sprawled out on Lena's bed, looking up at the star-painted ceiling and sighing.

"So what about the Polyjuice Potion, Lena, Calla?" Evie asked her older sisters, sitting up against the headboard. Lena stopped writing and Calla looked up from playing with Eleanor.

"Oh, right…" Calla said nervously, looking at Lena. "Well, Ron, Hermione and Harry want to see if Draco is the heir of Salazar Slytherin…" she explained. Evie looked at Lena. She knew about her sister's crush on the Malfoy boy.

"You don't believe it, do you, Lena?" she asked her sister, seeing the slight flash of anger in Lena's eyes.

"No," Lena said truthfully, turning back to the letter she was writing. "I do not."

"We're not the ones taking the potion. The trio is. They'll change into Malfoy - I mean Draco's - (Lena glared at her sister whenever she called Draco 'Malfoy') friends, Crabbe and Goyle and Hermione into a girl who is in Slytherin." Calla explained.

"Oh," Ethan said simply, yawning, holding Orion up like Simba from The Lion King. "Simple enough." The brother and sister didn't press the issue any longer, seeing how it affected Lena, and crawled into their own four-poster beds that Professor Flitwick had magically conjured up in their room before the siblings had gotten to the school.

As the three of her siblings sunk into a deep sleep, Lena continued to write to their parents with details about what has happened at Hogwarts.

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _We're all having a lot of fun at Hogwarts. Ethan and Evie are really enjoying their time here, even with Gilderoy as a Professor. Speaking of Gilderoy, he's gone to the lengths of deboning Harry's left arm. He's in the hospital wing as we speak, thankfully. (A rogue Bludger kept on aiming for him an entire Quidditch match and eventually hit him and broke his arm entirely). He's still insistent on getting on our good side, though he knows that we want nothing to do with him as long as his fame is still in his mind._

 _In other news, strange things are starting to show at Hogwarts. We're all fine, I promise you. But, something happened a few days ago. Apparently there's a secret chamber somewhere in the castle, and it's been opened. It started with the original founder of Slytherin house, Salazar Slytherin. We will keep you posted with any other strange occurrences. Don't worry about us, we're fine._

 _Evie misses home a little. Could you guys give her a picture of our family for Christmas? I think she would really appreciate it._

 _We love you very much,_

 _Calla, Lena, Ethan and Evie._

At that very moment, Harry lay in his hospital bed, his regrowing bones feeling like pins and needles in his arm. Someone had just walked in through the hospital doors. Dumbledore, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry's bed out of sight. Harry lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. he heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the stature on the bed.

"Another attack," said Dumbledore. "Minerva found him on the stairs."

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter."

Harry's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face.

It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.

"Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey.

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think… If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate - who knows what might have -"

The three of them stared down at Colin Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin's rigid grip.

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" said Professor McGonagall eagerly.

Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.

"Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey.

A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic.

"Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted…"

"What does this _mean,_ Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

"It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand over her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.

"But, Albus… surely… _who?"_

"The question is not _who,"_ said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is _how…"_

And from what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than he did.

The girls woke up on Saturday morning, the sunlight very prominent, even through the curtains that shaded the dormitory. Calla found Eleanor, slightly grown in one night's time, sleeping next to her, her wings fluttering slightly at her sides. She scratched the pup behind the ear, causing a moan to emerge from the muzzle.

A knock sounded on the door of the dorm. Calla looked around at her sleeping siblings and sighed, getting up carefully. Penelope Clearwater, the prefect of Ravenclaw, stood in front of her as she opened the door.

"Good morning, Penelope," Calla said through a yawn. "What's up?"

"Good morning, Calla," Penelope greeted. Penelope was already dressed in her weekend get-up, which normally consisted of jeans and a t-shirt. "I just wanted to tell you that you had visitors. They tried getting in by answering a riddle, but, obviously, they got it wrong." She said matter-of-factly, and very much like Percy Weasley.

"Oh," Calla said, surprise evident in her voice. "Who?"

Fred and George appeared behind Penelope, placing arms around her shoulders, whether she liked it or not, and gave Calla a grin.

"Hi guys," Calla said as the twins walked in. "Thanks for sending them in, Penelope. I hope they didn't cause too much trouble." Penelope smiled slightly at her and walked away.

"Morning!" The twins said together, "Thought we'd bring you all up some breakfast." Fred brought in a tray of waffles, porridge, pumpkin juice, marmalade and toast. At the very faint scent of food, the rest of the Lockhart children groaned and stretched out of their beds. Calla chuckled and took a bowl of porridge, setting it on the desk. She saw Fred looking at her as she picked out clothes for the day.

"Thanks, guys," Calla said, heat rising slightly in her cheeks. She picked out a simple Ravenclaw t-shirt and a pair of leggings and some fuzzy socks. Her siblings tucked into the food that the twins had brought as she got dressed quickly in a small corridor that led to Evie and Ethan's wardrobe. When she walked back into the room, there was a piece of toast, marmalade, and the bowl of porridge waiting for her on the desk.

As the girls ate, Ethan questioned Fred and George about Quidditch; about techniques and tips. The twins complied earnestly, however answering some of Ethan's questions with slight dramaticism.

"It's a brutal game, Quidditch," Fred said, slinging an arm around Calla as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "Would'nt you say so, George?" George nodded.

"Well, of course," George said simply, a grin on his face, "But it's all worth it with how fun it is to play." Ethan chuckled and nodded as he ate a piece of toast.

 _Guys,_ Calla messaged to the twins, _We have to go and help Ron and Hermione with something soon._ They looked at her with a raised eyebrow, as well as the rest of her siblings. She looked at Lena, who understood.

"What are you helping them with?" Fred questioned.

"Nothing harmful," Calla said teasingly, nudging him in the side, "Just something that Hermione's doing that requires more help than she thought." Lena nodded.

 _Keep an eye on Ethan and Evie,_ Calla said to Fred silently, _Please?_ He nodded once in obligation.

 _You do realize you can tell us what you're doing with our little brother and Hermione, right?_ Fred replied.

"We'll see you guys later," Lena said, packing up her bag and waiting for Calla at the door. Calla squeezed Fred as she slid her arm around his waist.

 _We'll explain when it's over. I promise._ Calla said finally, ending the conversation there. She stood up, hugging Evie and Ethan before walking out the door with Lena.

 _Ron? Hermione?_ Lena and Calla said to their friends as they hurried out of the common room and through the oak doors. _Are you guys brewing the Polyjuice Potion?_

 _Haven't started yet, but just about to,_ Hermione replied to them before Ron could. _Meet us soon!_

The girls set off to the bathroom where Moaning Myrtle condemned herself, running into only a few people that they knew along the way. They found Ron and Hermione in a locked stall. They knocked on the stall door and Ron opened it, motioning them to come in quickly. They explained to the girls how they had heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick earlier that very morning about Colin Creevey being petrified and brought to the hospital wing. Lena and Calla exchanged a worried look with each other.

Before Lena and Calla could press the issue, the door to the bathroom had opened and they stopped what they were doing, holding their breaths and trying not to speak.

"It's me," a distinctive voice said from afar. It was Harry.

The sisters didn't even say anything, they simply opened the stall door, hurried over to Harry and hugged him, careful about his arm.

" _Harry!"_ Hermione said with a smile, "You gave us such a fright - come in - how's your arm?"

"Fine," said Harry, squeezing into the stall. An old cauldron was perched on the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim told Harry that they had lit a fire beneath it. Conjuring up portable, waterproof fires was a specialty of Hermione's.

"We'd've come to get you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explained as Harry, with difficulty, locked the stall again. "We've decided this is the safest place to hide it."

Harry started to tell them all about Colin, but Hermione explained that they already knew.

"The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," snarled Ron. "D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin." Lena crossed her arms and glared at him. Harry decided to ignore it, thinking that what he had to say would be more important than Draco.

"There's something else," said Harry watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. "Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night."

At that, the quartet look at him in surprise, Lena relaxed her arms and placed them by her sides. Harry told them everything Dobby had told him - or hadn't told him. He explained that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened before. The others listened with their mouths open.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened... _before?"_ Lena said in a quiet voice.

"This settles it," said Ron in a triumphant voice. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious. Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school."

"Maybe it can make itself invisible," Calla suggested, shrugging.

"Or maybe it can disguise itself - pretend to be a suit of armor or something - I've read about Chameleon Ghouls -" Hermione started.

"You read too much, Hermione," said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry.

"So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm…" He shook his head. "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you."

The news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school by Monday morning. The air was suddenly thick with rumor and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone. This news helped Lena and Calla's situation with Ethan and Evie, because their younger siblings were always in a group with Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood, who had seemed to taking a liking to the two.

Ginny Weasley, however, had sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, and was completely distraught, but they all felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur and boils and jumping out at her from behind statues.

"What is this really going to accomplish?" Calla asked Fred, as he recovered from his turn one day in the Gryffindor common room.

Fred looked at George and they shrugged. "Just thought we'd try it out. It normally makes her laugh."

The twins only stopped what they were doing when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares.

Lena had sent out the letter that she had written to her parents on Sunday through Merlin, and he still hadn't returned with their reply.

Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. Neville Longbottom brought a large, evil-smelling green onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before the other Gryffindor boys pointed out that he was in no danger; he was a pure-blood, and therefore unlikely to be attacked.

"They went for Filch first," Neville said, his round face fearful. "And everyone knows I'm almost a squib." This upset Lena and Calla, because they knew that Neville was exceptionally good at Herbology from what they had seen from him.

In the second week of December Professor McGonagall came around as usual, collecting names of those who would be staying at the school for Christmas. The trio and the Lockhart siblings all signed. The trio because they had heard the Draco Malfoy was staying, which struck them as very suspicious. The holidays would be the perfect time to use the Polyjuice Potion and try to worm a confession out of him. This suspicion of theirs still upset Lena, but she decided to stay out of it.

Unfortunately, the potion was only half finished. They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin, and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape's private stores. They'd all rather face Slytherin's legendary monster than let Snape catch him robbing his office.

"What we need," said Hermione briskly as Thursday afternoon's double Potions lessons loomed nearer, "is a diversion. Then one of us can sneak into Snape's office and take what we need."

The others looked at her nervously. Lena liked Snape as a teacher. She was good at potions. And even though she was a half-breed, she could tell that he thought her to be a good student in his class. She didn't want to get on his bad side. Calla didn't either, but what was the fun of sitting around and doing nothing, even if Draco Malfoy didn't confess?

"I think I'd better do the actual stealing," Hermione continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "You two will be expelled if you get into anymore trouble," she said, eyeing Harry and Ron, "And I don't think you two want to steal these things and get on Snape's bad side if caught." It was as if she had read their minds, but they both nodded all the same. "All I need you to do is cause enough mayhem to keep Snape busy for five minutes or so."

Harry smiled feebly. Deliberately causing mayhem in Snape's Potions class was about as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.

Potions took place in one of the large dungeons. Thursday afternoon's lesson proceeded in the usual way. Twenty cauldrons stood steaming between the wooden desks, on which stood brass scales and jars of ingredients. Snape prowled through the fumes, making waspish remarks about the Gryffindor's work while the Slytherins sniggered appreciatively. Lena narrowed her eyes at Draco as he sniggered in Ron and Harry's direction. He looked at her and then back at his cauldron. When Snape turned and walked off to bully Neville, Hermione met Harry's eye and nodded.

Harry ducked swiftly down behind his cauldron, pulled on of Fred's Filibuster fireworks out of his pocket, and gave it a quick prod with his wand. The firework began to fizz and sputter. Knowing he had only seconds, harry straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it into the air; it landed right on target in Goyle's cauldron. Harry beamed at Lena and Calla, who were stifling giggles.

Goyle's potion exploded, showering the whole class. People shrieked as splashes of the Swelling Solution hit them. Malfoy got a face full and his nose began to swell like a balloon, causing Calla, Ron, Hermione and even Lena to stifle their laughter. Goyle blundered around, his hands over his eyes, which had expanded to the size of a dinner plate - Snape was trying to restore calm and find out what had happened. Through the confusion, Harry saw Hermione slip quietly into Snape's office.

"Silence! SILENCE!" Snape roared. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a deflating Draft - when I find out who did this -"

Harry tried not to laugh as he watched Malfoy hurry forward, his head drooping with the weight of a nose like a small melon. As half the class lumbered up to Snape's desk, some weighted down with arms like clubs, others unable to talk through gigantic puffed-up lips, Harry saw Hermione slide back into the dungeon, the front of her robes bulging.

When everyone had taken a swig of antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Snape swept over to Goyle's cauldron and scooped out the twisted black remains of the firework. There was a sudden hush.

"If I ever find out who threw this," Snape whispered, "I shall _make sure_ that person is expelled."

Harry arranged his face into what he hoped was a puzzled expression. Snape was looking right at him, and the bell that rang two minutes later could not have been more welcome.

"He knew it was me," Harry told the others as they hurried back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "I could tell."

Hermione threw the ingredients into the cauldron and began to stir feverishly.

"It'll be ready in two weeks," she said happily.

"Snape can't prove it was you, "said Ron reassuringly to Harry. "What can he do?"

"Knowing Snape, something foul," said Harry as the potion frothed and bubbled, causing Lena and Calla and ooh and stare at the concoction.

A week later, the trio, Lena and Calla were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Lena and Calla saw Evie and Ethan staring at the parchment with narrowed eyes and walked up to them.

"What's up, guys?" Lena questioned their younger siblings.

"Gilderoy," Evie and Ethan said together.

"They're starting a Dueling club!" Seamus Finnigan said excitedly. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days…"

"Wait, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest.

"Could be useful," he said to Harry and the others as they went into dinner. "Shall we go?"

Harry and Hermione were all for it, not knowing who would be the instructor for this Dueling Club. The Lockhart siblings looked at each other, but shrugged their shoulders.

 _Who knows,_ Ethan willed into his sisters' heads. _Maybe Gilderoy is a good fighter._ The girls could see a grin on his face even as he said it, knowing he didn't mean it.

The siblings sat at the Ravenclaw table, Ethan and Evie, as normal, sitting on either side of their older sisters. Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang, and Marcus Belby sat across from them.

"How are classes going?" Cho asked Evie and Ethan as they tucked into dinner.

"Really good! I really like Charms and Potions!" Evie said happily, chewing on a piece of chicken. Cho smiled brightly and Luna did as well.

"What about you, Ethan?" Marcus asked, "Taken a liking to anything? Besides Defense Against the Dark Arts, of course." Ethan scoffed, and Lena and Calla laughed. Marcus grinned.

"Well, asides from being taught by our marvelous uncle," Ethan said, sarcasm dripping from his tone, "I do rather like Charms and Herbology." Marcus nodded.

The rest of dinner went on with casual conversation throughout the houses. Calla and Lena waved once at the twins at the Gryffindor table at random.

At eight o'clock that very same evening, the Lockhart siblings ventured casually back to the Great Hall, finding Harry, Ron and Hermione along the way. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he wa young - maybe it'll be him." The Lockhart siblings exchanged glances with each other at the thought of the elf-like Professor being a dueling champion. They did not dare mention who they thought was behind this.

"As long as it's not -" Harry began, but he ended with a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black.

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called, "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!"

"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions - for full details, see my published works." The Lockharts in the room rolled their eyes at their uncle.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry - you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!" Evie crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Gilderoy dangerously.

"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered to the group.

Snape's upper lip was curling. Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape had been looking at _him_ like that he'd have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Harry muttered, the rest of the group nodding grimly.

"One - two - three -"

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: " _Expelliarmus!"_ There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. Even the Lockhart siblings couldn't help but cheer along with the Slytherins. Hermione narrowed her eyes at them, and they shrugged their shoulders. Malfoy looked over at Lena's direction, smirking along with her.

"Do you think he's alright?" Hermione squealed through her fingers.

"Who cares?" Harry and Ron said together, causing Calla, Lena, Ethan and Evie to laugh.

Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.

"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm - as you see, I've lost my wand - ah, thank you, Miss Brown - yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only to easy - however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…"

Snape was looking murderous. Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me -"

They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first.

"Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter -" Harry moved automatically toward Hermione. "I don't think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger - you can partner Miss Bulstrode."

He said nothing to the Lockhart siblings, walking away from the trio and moving on.

"Well, I guess we can partner each other, then, Lena," Evie said. Lena nodded at her younger sister with a smile.

"Guess it's you and me, little bro," Calla said to Ethan, taking him under her arm, noogying him.

"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!"

Harry and Malfoy barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off of each other. The Lockhart siblings made a joke out of it, eccentrically bowing at each other at opposite ends then making silly faces at each other.

"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents - _only_ to disarm them - we don't want any accidents - one… two… three -"

Everyone started screaming disarming charms at one another. Ethan had shouted "Expelliarmus" at his older sister before he had thought to, and disarmed her immediately. Calla looked at the ground for her wand, but Gilderoy had already picked it up and was walking towards her. She saw Harry behind him on the ground, having being hit by Malfoy first. He stumbled, but wasted no more time, pointed his wand straight at Draco and shouted, " _Rictusempra!"_

A jet of silver light hit Malfoy in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing. Gilderoy had handed Calla her wand at this point and saw this occurrence.

" _I said disarm only!"_ Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd.

 _Draco!_ Lena willed to the boy, still doubled up, _Are you all right?_

 _I'm fine._ Draco replied weakly as he sank to his knees.

Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move for laughing. Harry hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Malfoy while he was on the floor, but this was a mistake; gasping for breath, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry's knees, choked, " _Tarantallegra!"_ and the next second, Harry's legs began to jerk around out of his control in a kind of quickstep.

"Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, but Snape took charge.

" _Finite Incantatem!"_ he shouted; Harry's feet stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing, and they were able to look up.

A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done; but Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. Harry leapt forward and pulled Millicent off. It was difficult: She was a lot bigger than he was.

Lockhart tended to the students who had injuries. Some were limping, others had bloody noses, and some were just standing there looking very perplexed and confused at what was going on.

"I think I'd better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair - Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you -"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker. "How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile.

Lena looked over at Draco, who sneered at Harry.

 _Don't you dare harm him, Draco,_ Lena sent threateningly.

He looked at her, his sneer faltering. _Fine…_ he said begrudgingly.

Harry and Draco made their ways into the middle of the hall, as the crowd backed away to give them room.

"Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do _this."_ He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops - my wand is a little overexcited -"

Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked too. Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"

"Scared?" muttered Malfoy, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him.

"You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.

Lockhart directed Harry to do what he just did, and Harry made a comment on him dropping his wand, but Lockhart wasn't listening.

"Three - two - one - go!" he shouted.

Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, " _Serpensortia!"_

The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike.

 _Draco!_ Lena shouted at him in his mind. He avoided her eye, rather proud of what he had just done. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it…"

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. Lena and Calla rolled their eyes. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.

Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that his legs were carrying him forward as though he was on casters and that he had shouted stupidly at the snake, "Leave him alone!" And miraculously - inexplicably - the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry. Harry felt the fear drain out of him. He knew the snake wouldn't attack anyone now, though how he knew it, he couldn't have explained.

"What do you think you're playing at?" Justin shouted and before Harry could say anything, Justin had tuned and stormed out of the hall.

* * *

 *****Hello again guys! Me and Lena are just flying through this book! We are seriously excited to move forward with the series, because we have so many fun things planned! We hope you are excited as we are!*** :D**

 **Yours ever-so truly,**

 **Miss Calla Lockhart.**


	6. Chapter 6

Snape walked forward and waved his wand, making the snake vanish in a puff of smoke. He looked at Harry with a cold and calculating look, which Harry didn't like one bit. People were muttering and whispering to each other behind Harry. Then, Ron stepped forward, behind Harry, and started tugging on his robes.

"Come on," Ron said in Harry's ear. "Move. We have to go." he said.

Lena and Calla followed close behind Ron and Harry as Ron steered Harry out, Hermione walking beside them. People parted out of the path as they passed, all of them looking frightened. Lena and Calla told Evie and Ethan to stay with everyone else, while they went with Harry and the others. Harry tried to ask the others what was going on, but Ron, Hermione, Lena and Calla didn't explain or say anything until they had made it into the Gryffindor common room.

Ron then sat Harry down in one of the armchairs. "You're a Parselmouth? Why didn't you tell us?" he asked.

"I'm a what?" Harry asked them all.

"A Parselmouth." Ron answered. "It means you can talk to snakes." he explained.

"I know." Harry said, "But, it's only the second time I've done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor free at the zoo once. It was telling me about how it had never been to Brazil and I sort of set if free without meaning too. But, this was before I knew I was a wizard." Harry explained. Lena and Calla looked down on him surprised looks on their faces.

"A boa constrictor told about it had never seen Brazil…?" Ron repeated.

"So?" Harry said, "I'm pretty sure lots of people here can do that." he said. Lena and Calla shook their heads.

"No they can't, mate." Ron said.

"Parselmouths aren't common around here, Harry." Lena explained, quietly.

"This is bad." Ron said.

"What's bad?" Harry asked, slightly angry. "If I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justing then -"

"Is that what you were doing?" Ron asked him.

"What do you mean?" Harry said angrily, Lena put a hand on his shoulder, calmly. "You all were there, you heard me!" he said.

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue." Ron said.

"Snake language." Calla explained to Harry.

"You could have been saying anything. No wonder Justin was so freaked out. You sounded like you were egging the snake on, it was very creepy." Ron said. Harry gaped at Ron and the others.

"I spoke a different language? Without even realizing it? How can I speak another language without even knowing?" he asked.

Ron shook his head in confusion. Him, Hermione, Lena and Calla all had grim expressions on their faces.

"What's so terrible about stopping that snake from biting Justin's head off?" Harry asked. "Why does it matter so much that I spoke a different language, if it helped save a life?"

"It matters," Hermione said, speaking for the first time since they had arrived in the common room, "because Salazar Slytherin was famous for being able to talk to snakes. That's why the Slytherin House symbol is a serpent." Hermione explained. Lena and Calla nodded their heads in agreement. Harry's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Exactly, and now, the entire school is going to think that you are related to him in some way." Ron said.

"But, I'm not." Harry said, panic in his voice.

"That's hard to prove, Harry." Calla said. Lena nodded.

"He lived over a thousand years ago, you could be, for all we know." Hermione said.

* * *

Lena and Calla returned to their room that night to find Ethan and Evie sitting on their beds, already changed into their pajamas and waiting for them.

"Why aren't you guys asleep yet?" Lena asked them, as Ren jumped into her arms.

"We were waiting for you two." Evie answered her, hugging her pillow. "What happened with Harry?" she asked.

"Yeah, how come he can speak Parseltongue?" Ethan added.

Calla sighed, "We aren't that sure about that either. Harry, himself, didn't know he even spoke a different language." she said. She and Lena grabbed their own pajamas and went to get changed.

"What do you mean? How did he not know he was speaking a different language?" Ethan asked them.

"Well Apparently, he can talk to snakes, but he thought that he was speaking english. He didn't know he was speaking Parseltongue until we told him." Lena explained as she walked out of the bathroom. Ren was sitting comfortably on her shoulders and her hair was tied in a messy braid to keep it out of her face. She sat down on her bed with her back leaning against the headboard.

"That's weird." Evie said thoughtfully, "Do you think he's related to Slytherin in some way? Everyone is saying that he is the heir of Slytherin."

Calla walked back into the room seconds later, Eleanor nestled in her arms and sat down on her own bed. She set Eleanor into her lap and started petting her fur idly. "We doubt he is the heir of Slytherin. I mean, from what we know, he _could_ be related to Slytherin in some way." she said.

"But, Harry can't be the heir of Slytherin. He isn't the type of person to do something like this. And he is with us on trying to find out who the actual heir is; he wouldn't be doing that if he was the heir." Lena said with a sigh.

"Well, we can talk about this tomorrow morning." Calla said. "We have classes tomorrow and it's getting pretty late." she said when Evie and Ethan began to protest.

Lena giggled, "Yeah, you're right. We should probably get some sleep." she said, causing her younger siblings to pout.

"Fine…" Evie and Ethan muttered while pouting. Lena and Calla chuckled as they all got under their covers and bid each other a good night.

* * *

When the Lockhart siblings woke up the next morning, they found a pure white blanket of snow covering the school grounds. There had been a blizzard that started overnight and had only gotten stronger by the more time that passed. Herbology classes had been canceled due to the snow and Professor Sprout wanted to put socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a job she only trusted herself to do. The Mandrakes needed to grow quickly in order to cure Colin Creevey and Mrs. Norris as soon as possible.

After having breakfast in the Great Hall with the rest of the school, Evie and Ethan separated from their older sisters in order to go to their History of Magic class. Lena and Calla sat in the Great Hall, slowly eating their breakfast.

After they finished their breakfast, Lena and Calla quickly waved to Harry, Hermione and Ron, who were heading back to the Gryffindor common room, and walked in the other direction, towards the library. They decided to do a bit more research and study for their classes.

They found a table in the middle of the library and sat down, Ren and Eleanor laying on the floor by their feet. Lena had immediately gotten a few books that she needed for some research and Calla had begun revising her homework.

Some time later, Lena and Calla still sat at the table, reading some books to pass the time when Harry walked up to their table.

"Hey Lena, Calla," he said to them, standing next to their table. "Have you guys seen Justin anywhere around here?" he asked them.

"Hey Harry!" they said together.

"There is a group of Hufflepuff students around here somewhere, you can check if he is one of them." Lena suggested.

"Alright, thanks." Harry said as he hurried off.

Calla and Lena watched Harry walk around the library and looked at each other.

"Well, looks like he's in a big rush to explain to Justin." Calla said. Lena shrugged, picking her quill back. "Well, since we're done with our work and aren't doing anything right now, why don't we just go back to our common room?" she suggests.

'Yeah, lets go! We really don't have much to do here anymore." Lena said. Her and Calla stuffed their things back in their bags and left the library, giving Madam Pince a smile as they went.

They had only reached a few hallways down from the library, when they heard Peeves' voice Screaming a little ways away.

"ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NOBODY IS SAFE! NOT EVEN GHOSTS ARE SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Peeves screamed.

Lena and Calla's head snapped in the direction the voice came from before turning towards each other. Lena's eyes turned a golden color while Calla's eyes turned green, in fear of what might have happened. They nodded at each other, then sprinted as fast as they could to where the chaos was taking place.

When they reached the scene, they found Harry standing close to the petrified body of Justin Finch-Fletchley. They also saw Sir Nicholas floating immobile above the ground, his figure black and smoke instead of pearly white.

"Harry!" Lena and Calla said as they ran over to him.

"What happened?" Calla asked him, her eyes a piercing emerald color.

"I don't know! I left the library to try and find Justin and ran into Hagrid. After talking to him I was just walking around, and I tripped over Justin, and that's how Peeves found me." Harry whispered to them.

Lena looked down at Justin, laying on the floor, petrified. "This is getting more dangerous… How did nobody see anything?" Lena said, her golden eyes growing wide.

The chaos only grew worse as more people ran around in confusion and Harry, Lena and Calla were all pushed into a wall. Teachers shouted for students to be quiet and tried to calm everyone down, but nothing worked. Professor McGonagall soon ran over to the confused crowd, her own class following behind her. She raised her wand, which let out a loud bang and quieted everyone down. She ordered everyone to go back to the classes, and people reluctantly obliged. Lena and Calla stood close to Harry as everyone else started to disperse and Ernie Macmillan ran over.

"Caught in the act!" Ernie yelled loudly, pointing at Harry accusingly.

"Silence, Macmillan!" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

Harry, Lena and Calla stayed by the wall as the teachers went to examine Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. Peeves was floating close by, grinning at what had just happened. He then started singing a song:

" _Oh Potter, you rotter, oh what have you done?_

 _You're killing off the students, you think it's good fun."_

"Enough Peeves!" Professor McGonagall yelled as Lena and Calla glared at him slightly. Peeves quickly floated with his tongue sticking out at Harry.

After they had checked on Justin and Sir Nicholas, they went to take them to the Hospital Wing. Two of the professors carried Justin to the Hospital Wing while Ernie was given the job of fanning Sir Nicholas in the same direction with a giant fan Professor McGonagall had conjured. That left only Harry, Lena, Calla and Professor McGonagall in the hallway.

Professor McGonagall turned to the girls, "Why don't you girls go back to your common room for now." she said to them. Lena and Calla reluctantly nodded their heads.

Lena and Calla squeezed Harry's shoulders once before walking away. _Good luck, Harry_ They said in his mind, causing him to give them a small smile as they walked away.

"Follow me, Potter." Professor McGonagall said, walking away and commanding Harry to follow her.

* * *

Harry and Professor McGonagall walked through the hallways in silence. Harry had no idea where they were going, but he knew it meant trouble.

Soon, Professor McGonagall stopped in front of large gargoyle.

"Sherbert Lemon," she said to the gargoyle. Suddenly, the gargoyle sprang away from the wall and the wall behind it split open. Behind the wall stood a giant moving spiral staircase that went upwards. Professor McGonagall stepped onto the staircase, gesturing for Harry to do the same. As soon as Harry had stepped onto the staircase, the wall closed behind him. As they rose higher on the staircase, Harry saw what was in the room above him and figured out where Professor McGonagall had brought him. She had taken Harry to Dumbledore's office.

* * *

Lena and Calla had made it back to the Ravenclaw common room without any problem. They were two of the only people in the room at the moment so they both took a seat on the couch by the fire.

"I hope Harry isn't in too much trouble." Lena said, kicking her shoes off and bringing her feet up under her on the couch.

Calla nodded, "Yeah, and Ernie just had to go and make the situation even worse." she said. "I wonder what could have gotten Justin and Nearly Headless Nick without anybody noticing it." she wondered out loud, lookin at Lena, who stared at the fire, a zoned out look in her eyes.

"I don't know, but they better catch the thing soon, or more people could get hurt." Lena said with a sigh.

* * *

By the time Christmas break had started, the double attack on Justin and Sir Nicholas had caused a lot of nervousness and curiosity from everyone. The most worry was caused by the attack on Sir Nicholas due to the fact that whatever the thing was, it had managed to petrify a ghost. After the attack, most of the students had gone and booked seats to head home for the holidays.

"At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Ron said to Harry, Hermione, Lena and Calla. "Us, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle…" he groaned.

Crabbe and Goyle had signed up to stay at Hogwarts over the break with Malfoy. Harry, however, was glad that most people were leaving for the holidays. He couldn't stand all the people that sidestepped away from him, like he was some kind of a monster. Even Lena and Calla were annoyed by all the whispering, pointing and hissing whenever they passed through with Harry, although they decided to make fun of it, along with Evie, Ethan, Fred and George.

Fred and George had found Harry's entire situation so funny that they had decided to joke around with it. They would go out of their way to march in front of him down the hallways with Lena and Calla on either side of Harry and Evie and Ethan marching along, pretending to be soldiers behind him, making a little barricade type of thing, all of them saying, "Make way for the heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through!"

Percy and Ginny did not approve of Fred and George's little act around Harry. While the Lockhart siblings found it funny and amusing, joining along whenever they felt like it, Percy and Ginny didn't seem to find it as funny.

"This is not a laughing matter!" Percy scolded them.

"Out of the way, Percy." Fred said, "Harry's in a rush," he said as him, George, and the Lockhart siblings marched along with Harry through the hall.

"Yeah, he's heading off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant." George added, causing the Lockhart siblings to stifle a laugh.

Ginny didn't seem to take it as much of a joke either. She would always yell at them whenever Fred asked Harry loudly who his next victim was, or when George would pretend to ward Harry off with garlic when they met. Lena and Calla would always be with them, laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

Harry didn't seem to mind much, he felt better knowing that Fred, George and the Lockhart siblings thought the idea of him being the Slytherin heir was ridiculous. But the jokes that they made seemed to put Darco in a foul mood, he seemed to be getting more and more annoyed with every joke.

"It's because he is bursting to say that it's actually him!" Ron said, causing Lena to groan. "You know how much he hates anyone beating him at anything, and you're getting all the credit for his work."

"You guys know that I can just ask him if he is the heir or not right? I'm his friend." Lena said to them.

"He might not tell you the truth. And anyway, that won't be necessary." Hermione said, "Because the potion is almost done, as you know." she said. Lena sighed and rolled her eyes.

* * *

The term had finally ended and nearly everyone had left to go back home for the holidays. The only ones left in the Gryffindor Common room were Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys and the Lockhart siblings, who had taken to staying with the Gryffindors for the break while everyone else was away. They all enjoyed their time alone with each other, dueling in private, playing Exploding Snap without the fear of disturbing people. Fred, George and Ginny had signed up to stay back as well, since Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had went to visit Bill in Egypt over break. Percy was also staying over the holidays, but he had already told them that he had only stayed to support the teachers.

When Christmas morning finally arrived, Lena and Calla were woken up in the fort in Fred and George's room by Ethan and Evie pouncing on them.

"Merry Christmas!" Evie and Ethan shouted in unison when their older sisters finally sat up.

Lena and Calla chuckled, "Merry Christmas to you too." They said, pulling their younger brother and sister into a hug.

Ethan and Evie laughed before getting out of the fort and jumping on Fred and George to wake them up as well. Fred and George sat up with a start and playfully glared at their attackers.

"How do you wake up with a smile after they jump on you?" Fred asked Lena and Calla who had now crawled out of the fort and were laughing.

Calla shrugged, "We're used to it by now, they do this every Christmas," she explained.

Once everyone was awake, they all headed down to the Gryffindor common room, where their presents awaited them. They heard tapping on the window and found the Lockhart siblings' owl, Merlin, outside the window with presents from their parents.

They all sat down around the fire and tore into their own pile of presents. Orion sat on top of Ethan's head while Hercules lay curled up on one of the arm chairs, Ren was taking a nap next to Lena and Eleanor sat on Calla's Lockhart siblings all started to open their presents, starting with the things their parents had gotten them. Lena had gotten a beautiful, leather-bound journal from their parents, and a copy of _The Perks Of Being a Wallflower_ from Hermione. Calla had also received a leather-bound book from their parents, and a copy of _Frankenstein_ from Hermione. Ethan had gotten a guitar from their parents and a book on Quidditch from Hermione. Evie got a moving picture of the Lockhart family as requested from their parents and a book about easy little potions from Hermione. All four of the siblings had gotten candy from Harry and Ron, Filibuster's Fireworks from Fred and George and knitted sweaters and fudge from Mrs. Weasley.

Once the presents had been opened, they were all just sitting in the common room and talking when Lena noticed an unopened present by the mini tree in the common room. Curious, she reached over and picked it up, turning it over to see it addressed to her.

"Who's that from?" Calla asked her as she noticed the wrapped present.

Lena's brows furrowed in confusion, "It doesn't say, it just says, ' _To Lena, Hope you like it.'_ I wonder who it's from." she said, gently ripping the wrapping off to reveal a cute and fluffy little wolf plushie in a sitting position with black fur on top and white fur on the bottom and the paws. "Aw! So cute!" she said, hugging the plushie in her arms.

The others chuckle at Lena's childish behaviour, seeing her hug her new stuffed animal.

"I wonder who sent it though." George said, looking at the note for any clues.

 _Maybe it's from a certain Slytherin?_ Calla said in Lena's mind teasingly, causing her to blush.

 _Oh shush!_ Lena said back, her cheeks slightly pink.

Calla chuckled, _What did you get for him anyway?_ she asked.

 _I got him a Silver Snitch figurine thing, it's a decoration thing I found, and a tiny broomstick attached to the Snitch. The Snitch's wings stay out and don't go back in._ Lena replied. Calla nodded her head in understanding. _What about your gift for Fred by the way?_ Lena asked her back, smirking. Calla's cheeks turned pink too. _When are you going to give it to him?_ she asked her.

 _Right now, I think._ Calla said, standing up. "Fred can you come with me for a minute?" she asked Fred, causing Lena to giggle.

Fred tilted his head in confusion, "Sure," he said, as he stood up and followed her up the stairs.

Lena smiled at her sister, _Good luck, Calla! Hope he likes it._ she willed into Calla's mind as she saw her head up the stairs with Fred.

"So what did you want me up here for, Lily?" Fred asked Calla once they entered his and George's room.

"Uh… well, I actually have a present I haven't given you yet." Calla said. "Wait here and I'll go get it," she said as she crawled into the fort again.

"Okay, but you really didn't need to get me anything." Fred said as he sat down on his bed.

"Yeah, but I found this while Lena and I were out one day and I thought you would like it." Calla said, carefully crawling out of the fort, pulling something behind her. "So here it is." she said, showing the object to Fred. "It's a small replica of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch."

Fred stared at it, his mouth agape in surprise. "Where did you find this?" he asked her, holding it up in front of his face. He was amazed. The pillars that stood around the pitch were even the different houses' colors.

Calla shrugged, "Oh, you know," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

Fred smiled, "Thank you, Calla." Fred said, gently placing the replica on his desk. He turned around and gave her a quick hug. "Come on, let's go back downstairs now." He smiled down at her and walked to the door.

"Yeah." Calla said, following him down the stairs. Once she reached the the common room, she noticed that Lena was not in the room with the others. "Hey guys, where's Lena?" she asked them.

"Hermione came in a few minutes ago and took Lena with her." Evie replied.

"She also told us to tell you to meet them both a the usual place for something." Ethan added.

Calla nodded her head, "Okay. Well, I better get going then." George and Fred looked at her in confusion.

"What are you guys up to?" They asked her.

"It's nothing to worry about." She said dismissively before going out the portrait hole.

(Meanwhile, with Hermione and Lena):

Lena and Hermione ran into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They ran over to the bubbling cauldron with the Polyjuice potion inside it.

"It's almost done, we just need to add the final ingredient." Hermione said to Lena, holding up the bottle that held the lacewing.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Lena said, picking up the spoon.

Hermione added the lacewing into the potion with Lena stirring it occasionally. The potion begins bubbling and looking like a strange mud type substance. After a few more stirs, Lena and Hermione both stood back and smiled.

"It's ready." they whispered simultaneously.

Suddenly the door banged open, causing Lena and Hermione's head to snap around and look at who it was. Calla ran in through the door, panting slightly and looked at them.

"Is it time?" she asked them. Lena and Hermione smiled at her and nodded.

"Yup! It is done!" Lena said in relief. "Months of work have paid off." she said sighing in relief.

"Come on! We have to go tell Harry and Ron." Hermione said a few minutes later, as her, Lena and Calla ran out of the bathroom. "We have to drink the potion by tonight," she informed them as they ran.

The three girls ran through the common room, ignoring the questions they got from Fred, George, Ethan and Evie, they headed up into Harry and Ron's dorm room. They burst through the door, startling Harry and Ron awake. Hermione, Lena and Calla gave Harry and Ron their presents and waited for them to open it before telling them about the potion.

"Are you guys sure it's ready?" Harry asked them.

"Positive." Hermione replied, sitting at the end of Harry's bed while Lena and Calla sat on the floor. "Lena and I had just added the final ingredient so we'll be fine." she added. "But, If we're going to do this, we have to do it tonight." she informed them. Harry and Ron nodded their heads in agreement.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent with a lot of fun and laughter for everyone staying in the Gryffindor Tower. The Lockhart siblings sat with Harry and the others at the Gryffindor table since there was barely anyone at the Ravenclaw table.

The Great Hall was decorated festively, as always. There were beautiful, frost-covered Christmas trees, thick streamers and mistletoe everywhere. There was also enchanted snow, falling from the ceiling, and landing on the table, warm and dry. Professor Dumbledore had led them all in a couple of his favorite carols and most people sang along happily. Fred and George had bewitched Percy's prefect badge, so it read 'Pinhead' instead of 'Prefect'. He didn't seem to notice the badge though, since he kept asking everyone why they were all snickering. Harry heard Draco making remarks about his sweater from the Slytherin table, but didn't care, since he knew Draco would face the consequences in a few hours.

After they had all eaten at least two helpings of their food, they were all ushered out of the Great Hall to go over their plans again.

"You two still need to get a bit of the person you're changing into." Hermione told Harry and Ron as the five of them stood a little ways away from the Great Hall. "Also, we'll need to make sure that the real Crabbe and Goyle don't come bursting in on us while we're interrogating him." she adds.

"There's also the problem that they are always with Mal-Draco." Calla added. "If we're going to do this, we need to get Crabbe and Goyle alone." she said.

"Well you can leave, getting them alone to me. I've been meaning to talk to him all day anyway, so I can get Draco away from them for long enough. Just let me know when you get the stuff then." Lena said to them. Harry and Ron looked at her uncertainly.

"Er… are you sure you want to be alone with Malfoy?" Ron asked her. Lena nodded.

"Yeah, I've needed to talk to him anyway." Lena said to them. "I'll meet you guys in the bathroom in a bit then." She said to them.

"I'll let you know when to come back." Calla said and Lena nodded.

Lena turned around and walked back to the entrance of the Great Hall as Calla, Ron, Hermione and Harry stood a little bit away from her, half hidden in the shadows. _Hey Draco! Can you come here for a bit?_ Lena willed into Draco's mind.

Draco looked around the room and found Lena standing outside the doors leading into the Great Hall. _Uh.. sure, just let me get away from these two..._ he said in her mind before turning back to say something to Crabbe and Goyle.

Lena turned her head and smiled in reassurance at her friends who stood in the shadows and walked to lean against the wall to the side. A minute later, Draco Malfoy walked out of the room and walked over to Lena stood.

"Hello, Lena." Draco said, smiling at her and causing her to roll her eyes.

"A simple 'hello' isn't going to do today Draco," she said smiling at him and pulling into a quick hug. "Merry Christmas, Draco." she said, while hugging him.

Draco stuttered then hugged back, "Merry Christmas, Lena." he said back to her. "So, why did you want me to come here?" he asked her when they let go.

Lena rolled her eyes and smiled, "What? Do I need a specific reason to want to spend time with my friend on Christmas?" she said.

Draco chuckled and shook his head, "No, I suppose not. Want to go and sit at the usual place?" he asked her, "We could talk there." he said.

Lena nodded her head, "Sure." She said. Her and Draco began to walk in the direction opposite to where Calla and the others stood. "Thank you for the wolf plushie by the way, I really like it," she said to him as they continued to walk. She turned her head to face him and saw Hermione and Calla rushing off to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, while Harry and Ron hidden in the shadows, with cupcakes in their hands.

Draco nodded his head and smiled, "Glad you liked it. Thank you, for your present too. I like how the snitch and broomstick decoration is silver instead of gold." he said back to her. "How did you know the wolf was from me by the way?" Draco asked her curiously.

"Because everyone else who gave me a present had put their names on it so I knew who it was by. It wasn't really that hard to at least guess that it was you," she said as they reached an abandoned staircase and sat down. Draco chuckled and sat down next to Lena. "And my present was kind of a way of saying congratulations on making the Slytherin team, since I realized I never exactly said anything about you making the team…" Lena said, playing with the sleeves of the sweater she had received from Mrs. Weasley.

Draco just smirked and shook his head, "You didn't need to congratulate me. And it's alright that you forgot, you were kinda angry with me anyway. But I do really like the gift, it's nice," he said to her, leaning against the wall to face her. They stayed like that for a while, just talking about anything that came to mind, until Lena heard Calla's voice in her mind.

 _We've got the hairs and Harry and Ron are back in the bathroom, be back as fast as you can._ Calla said in Lena's mind.

 _Alright, be back soon._ Lena replied then stood up, smiling at Draco. "Well, I should probably get back to Calla and the others. They might get worried if I'm gone too long. But it was great talking to you again when neither of us are in foul moods," she said to him, giggling slightly.

Draco chuckled and stood up as well, "Yeah, we should both probably get back. But before you go - here." He said, pulling a paper out of his pocket and placing it in her hand.

"What's this, Draco?" Lena asked him, opening the paper and finding an article on a magical creature she had never heard of.

Draco smirked, "You'll figure it out, eventually," he said before turning around and walking away. Lena stood there for a minute, staring between the paper and Draco's retreating figure before shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll look into it later," she said to herself as she stuffed the crumpled piece of paper into her pocket and broke into a run, heading for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

* * *

Lena flung the door of the bathroom open and ran in to find Hermione pouring the Polyjuice Potion into three cups and Calla holding Harry's Invisibility cloak in her arms. She bent over and put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath, then walked over to the others.

"Hey Lena!" Calla said to her sister.

"Hey. What's the cloak for?" Lena asked curiously, gesturing towards the invisibility cloak.

"Well, we decided that you and Calla could follow us while hiding under the cloak. Calla said she would record Malfoy's confession for us in case we need proof." Hermione said as she handed a cup to Ron, then one to Harry. Lena nodded her head in understanding.

"Okay, now we add the hairs." Hermione said, as she uncapped a bottle of a Slytherin girl's name and dropped the hair into her glass. "Now, your turn…" Hermione said, looking disgusted at the now yellowish color of the potion. Harry and Ron did as they were told and dropped the hairs into their own glasses.

"Ugh… essence of Crabbe…" Ron said, "Must taste disgusting." he said

They looked at eachother unsurely then at Lena and Calla, who stood by the sink. Lena and Calla gave them a thumbs-up and they unfolded the invisibility cloak.

"Ready?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione.

"Ready." they said back. The three of them raised the glasses to their lips and pinched their noses as they gulped down the muddy liquid.

Hermione gagged slightly as she drank the potion and then threw the glass down, "I think I'm gonna be sick." she said and ran into the nearest cubicle.

"Me too." Ron said second later, dropping his glass and running into another cubicle.

Harry on the other hand, downed the entire potion before dropping his glass in the pile of shards already on the floor and sprinting to a cubicle as well.

Lena and Calla stood, leaning against the sinks as they watched their friends run for the toilets. They looked at each other a nervous yet slightly relieved look.

"I'm glad we didn't need to take that potion." Calla whispered to her sister, causing her to nod in agreement.

A couple of minutes later, Goyle stepped out of the cubicle that Harry had run into. He looked at himself, amazed, moving the fingers on his hands. "It actually worked." Goyle's voice said in shock as he looked in the mirror.

"Yes, it did." Lena said chuckling.

"This is unbelievable." Crabbe's voice came from behind Harry.

Lena, Calla and Harry all turned around to find Ron as a Crabbe look-alike standing outside his cubicle in shock.

"We'd better get going. We still need to find where the Slytherin common room is. I just hope we can find someone to follow." Harry said to the others.

Ron nodded his head and banged on Hermione's door. "Come on Hermione, we need to go!" he called.

"I-I don't think I can come!" came Hermione's reply. "You guys can go on without me!" she said.

"Come on Hermione. Milicent might be ugly, but no one's gonna know it's you." Ron said.

"No, really! I can't come with you guys. Hurry up and go, you're wasting time!" she called. Lena and Calla exchanged a look before walking up to the door as well.

"Hermione, What's wrong?" they asked her, knocking on the door and leaning forward so their ears were pressed to it.

 _I'll tell you when you get back, just go for now._ Hermione said in their minds. Lena and Calla sighed and looked over at Harry and Ron.

"Well, we should go. This potion only lasts for an hour and we still need to find where Draco is too." Lena said to them as Calla unfolded the invisibility cloak and threw it over herself and Lena. "We'll be right behind you guys, okay?" she said, as her and Calla both disappeared under the cloak.

"Alright, lets go." Harry said. He looked at his watch and noticed that five minutes of their precious hour had already come to pass. "We'll meet you back here soon, Hermione." he said as him and Ron ran out of the door.

They ran down the marble staircase, and racked their brains for any place the Slytherin common room could be.

"Any ideas?" Harry whispered.

"The Slytherins always come up for breakfast from over there." Ron said pointing at the dungeons. "Lena, you have any idea? Has it ever come up in a conversation with him?" he asked, looking towards the dungeons.

"Sorry, I have no idea. We don't really talk about the entrances to our common rooms." Lena's voice came from the air next to them. Right at that moment, a girl came through the entrance leading into the dungeon.

"Excuse me." Rons said to her, "We forgot that way to our common room." he said.

"Not a good idea, Ron," Calla's voice whispered in his ear.

"I beg your pardon?" the girls said, " _Our_ common room? _I'm_ from Ravenclaw." the girls said. She turned and walked away, looking back at them suspiciously.

Harry and Ron heard Lena and Calla giggling from the air beside them, "Told you" they said.

"Oh shush." Harry and Ron said in embarrassment. as they hurried dio to the dungeons.

Lena and Calla silently followed Harry and Ron down the steps, trying to keep their footsteps as silent as possible. They all walked down the dark passageways deeper under the school, constantly seeing how much time we have left.

"It would have been a good idea for us to at least find out where the Slytherin common room is, instead of just assuming it was easy to find." Lena and Calla whispered to the others, causing them to frown. The, suddenly, they saw movement ahead of them.

"Ha!" Ron said, "That must be a Slytherin." he said as they all hurried forward towards the moving figure. However, their hearts sank as they got closer and realized that it wasn't a Slytherin, but Percy Weasley. "What are you doing here?" Ron asked in surprise.

"That is none of your concern." Percy said stiffly. "It's Crabbe, isn't it?" he asked.

"Y-yeah." Ron answered.

"Well, both of you get back to your dormitories. It's not safe to wander wound the corridors these days." Percy said sternly.

"You are doing the same thing." Ron argued.

"I am a prefect." Percy said sternly. "Nothing will attack me." he said.

"What is going on here?" A voice rang out behind Harry and the others.

 _It's Draco_. Lena said in Calla, Harry and Ron's minds, sounding relieved. They all turned around to find Draco Malfoy walking towards them.

"There you two are." Draco drawled, walking up to them. "Have you been pigging out in the Great Hall this whole time?" Draco asked them. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I need to show you two something," he said.

The he glared at Percy, "What are you doing here, Weasley?" He sneered at him.

Calla sighed and looked at her sister, _You really need to work on him being kinder to people…_ She said into her sister's mind, causing her to sigh.

Percy looked outraged at what Draco just said, "You better start showing more respect towards the prefects of this school! Tone down the attitude!" Percy said, angrily.

Draco just sneered at Percy and turned to Harry and Ron, "Follow me, you two." he said, scowling at Percy one more time before walking off. Harry and Ron reluctantly followed Draco away from Percy.

"Stay close you two…" Harry murmured to Lena and Calla as they walked through the dark corridors.

"That Peter Weasley-" Draco started as they walked.

"Percy." Ron interjected immediately.

"Whatever." Draco said, "I noticed that he's been sneaking around a lot. I bet he's trying to catch the heir of Slytherin single-handedly." he said to them, letting out a little laugh.

Harry and Ron perked up excitedly and heard Lena and Calla sighing from behind them.

 _If you do that everytime he mentions anything about the heir-_ Calla started.

 _Then, you're going to blow your own cover._ Lena finished in their heads.

Suddenly, Draco stopped in front of a piece of damp wall. "What's the new password again?" Draco asked Harry.

"Uh…" Harry said.

"Oh yeah - Pureblood." Draco said, watching as the wall slid open to reveal a hidden door. Darco marched right through it, Harry, Ron, Lena and Calla following behind him.

The room behind the door was a long and dark underground room. It had rough stone walls, and a low ceiling where greenish lamps hung from chains. It had a crackling fire in the mantelpiece in front of them. They could see the silhouettes of many other Slytherins in the room, but not their faces.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." Draco said to Ron and Harry, gesturing to a pair of empty chairs by the fire. "My father just sent me something, I'll go and get it." he said.

Harry and Ron curiously sat in the two empty chairs, trying to look comfortable in the the common room. They tried to listen to see where Lena and Calla were, but they couldn't pick anything up.

"You two still here?" Ron muttered quietly, so that nobody could hear them.

 _Yeah, we're right behind your chairs._ came their reply in Harry and Ron's minds. They sighed in relief, as they heard the light shuffling of Calla taking her phone out to record everything being said.

A few minutes later, Draco returned, holding a piece in his hand. He held it in front of them, inviting them to read it. "This will give you a laugh." he said, smirking.

Ron took the paper and read it, his eyes widening further and further every so often in shock. He quickly read the entire clipping then handed it to Harry, letting out a forced laugh as he did. Lena and Calla leaned over Harry's shoulders a bit so they could read it too. It was an article about how Mr. Weasley had been fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car. It told about how Mr. Malfoy had recently called for Mr. Weasley to resign due to his actions. Lucius Malfoy said in the article about how he saw Mr. Weasley unfit to follow the wizarding laws and how his Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately. Lena and Calla silently sighed when they had finished reading.

"Well, don't you think it's funny?" Draco asked them impatiently as Harry handed the article back to him. Harry and Ron forced out a laugh, as they looked at Draco, who nodded in approval. "Arthur Weasley love Muggles so much that he should just snap his wand and go join them." he said, "You wouldn't think the Weasleys were purebloods by the way they behave," Draco said, scowling. Ron looked furious when Draco said this, his face red in anger. Draco seemed to notice this, "What's wrong with you, Crabbe?" he asked.

Ron felt an invisible hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. "Stomach ache." Ron grunted, pretending to hold his stomach in pain.

"Well then, go to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick for me." Draco said, snickering. Harry and Ron heard Lena sigh close to their ears.

 _I wish he would stop saying that word._ Lena grumbled in Harry, Ron and Calla's heads.

"I'm surprised that the _Daily Prophet_ hasn't reported all the attacks yet." Draco said thoughtfully. "I think that Dumbledore is trying to keep it from getting out. He'll be sacked if this continues. Father has always said that Dumbledore is the worst thing to happen to this place. He loves Muggle-borns, and any decent headmaster would have never let anybody like Creevey in." he added.

"There's also Saint Potter, friend of all he Mudbloods." Draco said slowly. "He doesn't have any proper wizard emotions either! Otherwise he wouldn't walk around with that Granger Mudblood. And people think he's the heir of Slytherin." Draco let out a little laugh.

Harry, Ron and Calla perked up slightly, waiting for him to confess that he is actually the heir. Lena rolled her eyes and shook her head at their excitement. They knew that Draco was seconds away from telling them the truth.

"I wish I knew who the actual heir is." Draco said causing them to deflate.

 _I knew it!_ Lena said, in their minds while smirking as Calla chuckled.

Ron's jaw nearly hit the floor in surprise upon hearing this, but Draco didn't seem to notice. Harry thought quickly and said, "But, you must have some idea of who it is." he said.

"You know I don't, Goyle. I've told you several times, I don't know." Draco snapped, "Father won't even tell me anything about when the Chamber was last opened! Well, granted it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he does know all about it. He said it was all kept quiet, so it'll look suspicious if I knew too much. But I do know one thing, last time the Chamber was opened, a Mudblood died. So I guess it's only a matter of time before one is killed this time. Personally, I hope it's Granger." he said.

Ron clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch Draco in the face. Calla glared at him, still inside the invisibility and Lena sighed. _You are not getting anywhere by saying that, Draco…_ Lena thought to herself.

"Do you know if the person who opened it last time was caught?" Harry asked Draco, shooting a warning look at Ron.

"Yeah, whoever it was, was expelled." Draco said, shrugging, "Probably, still in Azkaban." he added.

 _Azkaban?_ Harry asked in his friend's minds.

 _It's the wizard prison, Harry._ Lena and Calla explained. Calla turned off the recorder and put her phone back in her pocket.

Draco moved restlessly in his chair, "Father says to keep my head down and let the heir do the work. The school need ridding of the filth anyway, but he said I shouldn't get mixed up in it. Of course, he has stuff on his mind too. The Ministry did a raid of the Manor last week." Draco said.

"Luckily, they didn't find that much. Father has some very valuable dark arts stuff. But we have our own secret chamber that's under the drawing room floor-"

"Ho!" Ron suddenly burst out. Draco, Harry, Lena and Calla stared at him. Harry, Lena and Calla noticed that Ron's hair was starting to turn red again. When Ron looked at Harry, his expression was horrorstruck, telling Harry that he was changing back too. Their hour was up.

They both jumped to their feet and began to run out of the common room, telling Draco that they needed to get medicine for Ron's stomach. They sprinted through the passageways and up into the Entrance Hall. Once they had reached there, they left Crabbe and Goyle's too big shoes out of the closet door where the real Crabbe and Goyle were and ran towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Lena and Calla had taken the cloak off and now were running beside Harry and Ron with the cloak in Calla's hands.

"Well that wasn't a _complete_ waste of time." Ron panted as he closed the door behind him."I'm writing to my dad tomorrow to tell him to look under the Malfoy's drawing room. But we still didn't figure out who is behind the attacks," he said.

Harry and Ron checked their faces in the mirrors while Calla put the invisibility cloak away and Lena knocked on Hermione's door.

"Hey Hermione. We've got stuff to tell you, why don't come out?" Lena said to her.

"Go away!" Hermione said. Harry, Ron and the Lockhart siblings looked at each other.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Calla asked her.

Moaning Myrtle suddenly glided through the door, giggling, and looking very happy. "Ooohhh, Wait til you see her," she said, "It's awful." she said while giggling.

Hermione unlocked the door of her stall and they saw her coming out with her robes over her head.

"What's up?" Ron asked her, "Haven't you changed back yet?" he said. Hermione then let her robes fall back to her shoulders and Ron backed away. Calla drew in a sharp breath and Lena brought her heads to her mouth.

Hermione's face was covered in fur. She had yellow cat eyes and pointed ears. "It was cat hair I found on Millicent's robes. The potion doesn't isn't used for animal transformations." Hermione said.

"Oh no…" Ron muttered.

"You'll surely be teased now!" Myrtle said happily. Lena and Calla went to stand on either side of Hermione and took her arms.

"It's okay Hermione." Harry reassured her. "We'll take you to Madam Pomfrey." he said as he and Ron followed Lena and Calla as they walked with Hermione. It took them a while to convince Hermione to leave the bathroom, but she finally let Lena and Calla guide her out of the door.

"Wait til everyone sees that you have a tail!" Moaning Myrtle said behind them as they hurried towards the hospital wing.

* * *

 **Well friends, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! More stuff for you is coming soon! Well, since there is nothing else to say at this point, See you in the next chapter! Also, fair warning, there might be some major feels in one of the next few chapters. You have been warned.**

 **~Lena Lockhart**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumor about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived from their Christmas holidays. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and paced them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.

Harry, Ron, Calla and Lena went to visit her every evening. When the new term started, they brought her each day's homework.

"If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work," said Ron, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione's bedside table one evening.

"That's only because you don't like logic," Calla said while giggling, nudging him in the side.

"Don't be silly, Ron. I've got to keep up," said Hermione briskly. Her spirits were greatly improved by the fact that all the hair had gone from her face and her eyes were turning slowly back to brown. "I don't suppose you've got any new leads?" she added in a whisper, so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear her.

"Nothing," said Harry gloomily.

"I was so _sure_ it was Malfoy," said Ron, for about the hundredth time. Lena sighed.

"He's not that bad of a guy!" Lena said in defense, crossing her arms.

"Ha," Ron huffed. "You heard him in the common room, Lena. He still calls everyone not in Slytherin Mudblood. He hasn't changed!"

Lena looked at her sister for support, but Calla simply shrugged and waved her hand dismissively.

 _Don't get me into this,_ Calla Kelted to her sister. _I'm the one trying to like him more for you._ Lena sighed heavily and let the conversation end there.

"What's this?" asked Harry, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione's pillow.

"Just a get well card," said Hermione hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her. He pulled it out, flicked it open, and read aloud:

" _To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of_ Witch Weekly's _Most-Charming-Smile Award."_

Lena and Calla looked at each other and burst out into a fit of giggles, causing the trio to look up at them in surprise. Hermione narrowed her eyes at them.

"Sorry - Hermione -" Lena said, swallowing the laughter. "We just find it a bit ridiculous that anyone would find him legit." Calla nodded, covering her mouth to keep from laughing. Ron grinned at them and looked back at Hermione, a disgusted look on his face.

"You sleep with this under your _pillow?"_ he asked, revolted.

Hermione was spared by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over with her evening dose of medicine.

"Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" Ron said to the others as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower. Snape had given them so much homework, that Lena and Calla just decided to help the two boys catch up on it and sleep in Fred and George's room for the night. Ron was just saying he wished he had asked Hermione how many rat tails you were supposed to add to a Hair-Raising Potion when an angry outburst from the floor above reached their ears.

"That's Flich," Harry muttered as they hurried up the stairs and paused, out of sight, listening hard.

"You don't think someone else's been attacked?" the girls asked tensely. They stood still, their heads inclined toward Filch's voice, which sounded quite hysterical.

"-even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore -"

Lena and Calla sighed in relief.

"He's just going on about Moaning Myrtle flooding the bathroom again," Lena said,, resting her hand on her heart.

"He mumbles to himself most of time when she does it," Calla explained, seeing the boys' expressions. "I guess this time he's just done."

They poked their heads around the corner. Filch had clearly been manning his usual lookout post: They were once again on the spot where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. They saw at a glance what Flich had been shouting about. Sure enough, a great flood of water stretched from under the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Now that Filch had stopped shouting, they could hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls.

" _Now_ what's up with her?" said Ron, looking at the girls. They shrugged.

"Let's go and see," said Harry, and holding their robes over their ankles they stepped through the great wash of water to the door bearing its OUT OF ORDER sign, ignored it as always, and entered.

Moaning Myrtle was crying, if possible, louder and harder than ever before. She seemed to be hiding down her usual toilet. It was dark in the bathroom because the candles had been extinguished in the great rush of water that had left both walls and floor soaking wet.

"What's up, Myrtle?" said Harry.

"Who's that?" glugged Myrtle miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"

Lena and Calla looked at each other in confusion. Who would throw something at Myrtle?

Harry waded across to her stall and said, "Why would I throw something at you?"

"Don't ask me," Myrtle shouted, emerging with a wave of yet more water, which splashed onto the already sopping floor. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me…"

 _Why would someone throw a book?_ Calla Kelted to the others, raising her eyebrow.

 _Unless something was wrong with the book…_ Lena said, thinking.

Harry and Ron looked back at them and shook their heads.

 _Not the time to question, guys!_ Harry said, warningly.

Calla shrugged. _Sorry! Couldn't help it!_

"But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you," said Harry, reasonably. "I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?" Lena and Calla looked at each other and sighed.

Evidently, Harry had said the wrong thing. Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked, "Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because _she_ can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I _don't_ think!" The Lockhart sisters shook their heads disapprovingly at the ghost.

 _You know she_ is _sensitive, Harry, don't you?_ Lena said.

"He didn't mean anything, Myrtle," Calla explained calmly, trying to console the whining ghost.

"Who threw it at you, anyway?" asked Harry.

" _I_ don't know… I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell right through the top of my head," said Myrtle, glaring at them. "It's over there, it got washed out…"

Harry and Ron looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Harry stepped forward to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back.

"What?" said Harry.

"Are you crazy?" said Ron. "It could be dangerous."

Lena and Calla looked at each other, then at the book.

 _How can a book be dangerous, Ron?_ Calla Kelted to him.

" _Dangerous,"_ said Harry, laughing. "Come off it, how could it be dangerous?"

"You'd be surprised," said Ron, who was looking apprehensively at the book. "Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated - Dad's told me - there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read _Sonnets of a Sorcerer_ spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could _never stop reading!_ You just had to wander around with you nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And -"

"All right, we've got the point," said Harry and Calla. Calla looked rather irksome, thinking that a simple book could cause so much trouble.

The little book lay on the floor, nondescript and soggy.

"Well, we don't find out unless we look at it," he said, and he ducked around Ron and picked it up off the floor.

Harry saw at once that it was a diary, and the faded year on the cover told him it was fifty years old. He opened it eagerly. On the first page he could just make out the name "T.M. Riddle" in smudged ink.

"Hang on," said Ron, who approached cautiously and was looking over Harry's shoulder. "I know that name… T.M Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago." The girls looked at each other curiously, and stayed close behind Harry, looking at the old book.

"How on earth d'you know that?" said Harry in amazement.

"Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention," said Ron resentfully. Calla and Lena giggled. He looked at them grimly. "That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too." Calla rested a consoling hand on Ron's shoulder.

Harry peeled the wet pages apart. They were completely blank. There wasn't the faintest trace of writing on any of them, not even _Auntie Mabel's birthday,_ or _dentist, half-past three._

"He never wrote on it," said Harry, disappointed.

Why would someone want to flush it away when no one wrote in it?" Lena asked, looking at the empty pages.

Harry turned to the back cover of the book and saw the printed name of a variety store on Vauxhall Road, London.

"He must've been Muggle-born," said Harry, thoughtfully. "To have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road…"

"Well, it's not much use to you," said Ron. He dropped his voice. "Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose."

Calla and Lena did not find this amusing as Harry pocketed the book. When they left the bathroom, the two immediately hit Ron on the side of the head for being insensitive.

Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less, and fur-free, at the beginning of February. On her first evening back in Gryffindor Tower, Harry showed her T.M. Riddle's diary and told her the story of how they had found it.

"Oooh, it might have hidden powers," said Hermione enthusiastically, taking the diary and looking at it closely.

"If it has, it's hiding them very well," said Ron. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't chuck it, Harry."

"Because there's a reason someone chucked it in the first place, Ron," Lena explained simply.

"We just want to figure out why they did," Calla added. Ron sighed.

Harry nodded in confirmation. "I wish I knew why someone _did_ try to chuck it," he said. "I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts either."

Ron shrugged. "Could've been anything," he said. "Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle; that would've done everyone a favor…" Again, Lena and Calla hit Ron for being insensitive.

" _What?"_ Ron asked irritably. "I'm just speaking truthfully…"

Lena and Calla shook their heads disapprovingly, narrowing their eyes at the ginger-haired boy.

"She still has _feelings,_ Ron," Calla said simply, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The reason why she's the way she is is because of the way everybody treats her." Lena explained. Harry raised an eyebrow at them and sighed.

"What's up, Harry, Hermione?" Calla asked, seeing the looks on their faces.

"Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn't it?" Harry said. "That's what Malfoy said."

"Yeah…" said Ron slowly.

"And _this diary_ is fifty years old," said Hermione tapping it excitedly.

Lena and Calla realized what they were saying immediately and nodded with enthusiasm. They looked at Ron, who looked back at them.

"So?" he said.

"Oh, Ron, wake up," snapped Hermione. "We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled _fifty years ago._ We know T.M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school _fifty years ago._ Well, what if Riddle got his special award or _catching the Heir of Slytherin?_ His diary would probably tell us everything -"

"But there's nothing written in it," Lena said, sighing. Calla nodded.

"It might be invisible ink!" she whispered.

She tapped the diary three times and said, " _Aparecium!"_

Nothing happened. Undaunted, Hermione shoved her hand back into her back and pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser.

"It's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley," she said.

She rubbed hard on _January first._ Nothing happened.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there," said Ron. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in."

There was something important in that diary, Harry was sure of it. He kept picking it up and turning the pages, as though it were a story he wanted to finish.

Harry was determined to find out more about Riddle, so next day at break, he headed for the trophy room to examine Riddle's special award, accompanied by an interested Hermione, Lena and Calla, and a thoroughly unconvinced Ron.

Riddle's burnished gold shield was tucked away in a corner cabinet. It didn't carry details of why it had been given to him ("Good thing, too, or it'd be even bigger and I'd still be polishing it," said Ron). However, they did find Riddle's name on an old Medal of Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys.

"He sounds like Percy," said Ron, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Prefect, Head Boy… probably top of every class -"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," said Hermione in a slightly hurt voice. Lena and Calla rested a hand on her shoulders.

"Percy isn't that bad, Ron," Lena said, defending Ron's older brother.

"Just because he's smart, doesn't automatically make him a prick," Calla explained simply.

Ron said nothing, thinking better than interjecting what he really thought. He didn't want to get hit on the head again.

The sun had begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacked since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.

Perhaps the Heir of Slytherin had lost his or her nerve, thought Harry. It must be getting riskier and riskier to open the Chamber of Secrets with the school so alert and suspicious. Perhaps the monster, whatever it was, was even now settling itself down to hibernate for another fifty years…

Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff didn't take this cheerful view. He was still convinced that Harry was the guilty one, that he head "given himself away" at the Dueling Club. Peeves wasn't helping matters; he kept popping up in the crowded corridors singing "Oh Potter you rotter…" now with a dance routine to match.

Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. This made the Lockhart siblings burst out laughing when Harry told them what he overheard their uncle telling Professor McGonagall.

"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him."

" _Gilderoy - stopping a vicious monster?!"_ Ethan had choked through his laughter.

"That'd be the day when pigs fly!" Evie exclaimed, holding her stomach.

"You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing…"

Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on February fourteenth. Harry hadn't had much sleep because of a late-running Quidditch practice the night before, and he hurried down to the Great Hall, slightly late. He thought, for a moment, that he'd walked through the wrong doors.

The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Harry went over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was sitting, looking sickened, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles. The Lockhart siblings had taken to sit next to Fred and George, getting a better look at the High Table, where their uncle sat, seeing what he was up to.

"What's going on?" Harry asked Lena and Calla, sitting down and wiping confetti off his bacon.

They pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too disgusted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The sisters sighed heavily.

"He's trying to make a point or something…" Lena sighed.

"And a rather ridiculous one at that," Calla added, through a mouthful of fried egg.

The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced. From where he sat, Harry could see a muscle going in Professor McGonagall's cheek. Snape looked as though someone had just fed him a large beaker of Skele-Gro.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all - and it doesn't stop here!"

Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarves. Not just any dwarves, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. Like a dozen Cupids. Calla choked on her juice, and Fred patted her on the back, chuckling.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be moving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enhancements than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

This caused an uproar with the four Ravenclaw siblings, choking on their laughter.

"Sly old dog!" Calla said, covering her mouth. "What is he playing at?" She looked up at her uncle.

Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," said Ron as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer.

"We'll see you guys in class," Calla and Lena told the trio as Fred and George guided them through the corridor.

In spirit of the day, Peeves snuck up behind the quartet of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, focused on mainly Fred and Calla, Fred having an arm around Calla's shoulders. The Poltergeist started to sing while flying close to them.

 _"Weasley and Lockhart_

 _You rarely see the two apart._

 _This makes us all question,_

 _The feelings inside their hearts."_

George and Lena burst out laughing at this notion. Peeves, however, was not finished.

 _"The way they feel_

 _It truly shows_

 _Will one ask the other?_

 _Nobody knows."_

Fred and Calla looked at each other and burst out laughing as well, though Calla glared at the ghost. Peeves simply grinned and stuck his tongue out at her. Fred squeezed her shoulder.

 _Ignore him, Cal,_ he Kelted to her. _Always causing trouble, you know._ She looked at him and saw that he was grinning from ear to ear, though he looked down at the floor. She sighed heavily and shook it off, ignoring the ghost as he started to sing it for a second time.

When the trio had reached Charms, they all looked flustered. They took their seats next to Lena and Calla, Ren and Eleanor sitting on their shoulders.

"What happened?" Lena asked as they sat down.

Harry told them the tale of Ginny Weasley's valentine that was sung to him in the corridor just a few seconds before he walked in. How Malfoy had taken Riddle's diary (Lena had sighed heavily as Harry explained this), and how he, Harry, had to disarm Draco in order to get the diary back. He also mentioned how Ron had heroically caught the diary once Harry had disarmed the platinum blond wannabe.

After this lengthy explanation, Harry receded to taking out his materials for class.

"What happened to your stuff?" Lena asked, eyeing the red ink-covered materials that Harry took out of his bag. Everything but T.M. Riddle's diary was drenched in scarlet ink. Harry tried to point this fact out to Ron, but Ron was having trouble with his wand again, large purple bubbles were blossoming out of the end, causing the Lockhart sisters to try and pop the bubbles while Hermione shook her head with a disapproving look.

The Lockhart siblings decided to take their pets and sleep Fred and George's room that night, for really no reason at all except to see George give Harry a hard time about Ginny's valentine in the common room. He kept singing "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad," sometimes having a chorus of Fred and the Lockharts trying, (and failing) to harmonize with him. Ron was laughing along with them the entire time, but saw that it bothered Harry, so didn't join in.

Fred, George, and the Lockhart siblings departed to the dormitory shortly after Harry had left. As soon as they entered the room, Ren and Eleanor flew onto the twin's beds, Orion curled in Ethan's arms, and Hercules jumped from the dresser, to each four-poster bed, and chose to sit on the windowsill rather snugly.

"I kind of feel bad about giving Harry a hard time," Evie said suddenly, gaining the entire group's attention.

"Oh, it's no big deal," George said, waving his hand dismissively, walking to the bathroom to change.

"Harry knows we're only messing with him," Fred said, going in after George had walked back into the room fully clothed in flannel. Calla and Lena nodded while Ethan stroked Orion's fur absently.

. . .

During this time, Harry sat on his four-poster flicking through the blank pages of Riddle's diary not one of which had a trace of scarlet ink on it. Then he pulled a new bottle of ink out of his bedside cabinet, dipped his quill into it, and dropped a blot onto the first page of the diary.

The ink shone brightly on the paper for a second and then, as though it was being sucked into the page, vanished. Excited, Harry loaded up his quill a second time and wrote, "My name is Harry Potter."

The words shone momentarily on the page and they, too, sank without a trace. Then, at last, something happened.

Oozing back out of the page, in his very own ink, came words Harry had never written.

 _Hello, Harry Potter_. _My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?_

These words, too, faded away, but not before Harry had started to scribble back.

"Someone tried to flush it down a toilet."

He waited eagerly for Riddle's reply.

 _Lucky that I recorded my memories in some more lasting way than ink. But I always knew that there would be those who would not want this diary read._

"What do you mean?" Harry scrawled, blotting the page in his excitement.

 _I mean that this diary holds memories of terrible things. Things that were covered up. Things that happened at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

"That where I am now," Harry wrote quickly. "I'm at Hogwarts, and horrible stuff's been happening. Do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?"

His heart was hammering. Riddle's reply came quickly, his writing becoming untidier, as though he was hurrying to tell all he knew.

 _Of course I know about the Chamber of Secrets. In my day, they told us it was a legend, that it did not exist. But this was a lie. In my fifth year, the Chamber was opened and the monster attacked several students, finally killing one. I caught the person who'd opened the Chamber and he was expelled. But the Headmaster, Professor Dippet, ashamed that such a thing had happened at Hogwarts, forbade me to tell the truth. A story was given out that the girl had died in a freak accident. they gave me a nice, shiny, engrave trophy for my trouble and warned me to keep my mouth shut. But I knew it could happen again. The monster lived on, and the one who had the power to release it was not imprisoned._

Harry nearly upset his bottle in his hurry to write back.

"It's happening again now. There have been three attacks and no one seems to know who's behind them. Who was it last time?"

" _I can show you, if you like,"_ came Riddle's reply. " _You don't have to take my word for it. I can take you inside my memory of the night when I caught him."_

Harry hesitated, his quill suspended over the diary. What did Riddle mean? How could he be taken inside somebody else's memory? He glanced nervously at the door to the dormitory, which was growing dark. When he looked back at the diary, he saw fresh words forming.

 _"Let me show you."_

Harry paused for a fraction of a second and then wrote two letters.

"OK."

Harry saw the pages blow as though caught in a high wind. Harry sat with his mouth gaping open, staring as the pages flipped through to about halfway through the month of June. Harry saw that the little square for June thirteenth seemed to have turned into a miniscule television screen. His hands trembling slightly, he raised the book to press his eye against the little window, and before he knew what was happening, he was tilting forward; the window was widening, he felt his body leave his bed, and he was pitched headfirst through the opening in the page, into a whirl of color and shadow.

He felt his feet hit solid ground, and stood, shaking, as the blurred shapes around him came suddenly into focus.

The diary had took him into a memory. A real memory. He was in what looked to be Dumbledore's office - but Dumbledore was not the headmaster fifty years ago. This memory would be taking him through Riddle's version of events. Harry found out that Riddle's first name was Tom, and that he was not able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer. He told the tale of his mother and father to headmaster. The headmaster explained, rather exasperatedly, that due to the recent attacks, it would be ridiculous to suggest that Tom stay for the holiday.

Harry followed Riddle down the moving spiral staircase. They reached the entrance hall, only to find a tall wizard with long, sweeping auburn hair and a beard called to Riddle from the marble staircase. It was Dumbledore. He kept a close eye on Tom, as if suspecting him of something. He ordered for Riddle to go to bed. Obviously, the young boy did not obey. Harry followed Tom to the very dungeon Snape taught Potions in. He tiptoed along, forgetting that he couldn't be heard, only to stop when Riddle heard voices through a door that he had opened.

It was Hagrid.

Riddle accused the huge outline of a boy on the attacks, thinking that whatever Hagrid had been hiding was the monster behind it all. Harry saw Hagrid leap at Tom, seize his wand and yell "NOOOOOOO!"

The scene whirled. In a few moments, Harry was dizzily inside his Gryffindor dormitory, on his four-poster, with Riddle's diary lying open on his stomach. Before he had had time to regain his breath, the dormitory door opened and Ron came in.

"There you are," he said.

Harry sat up. He was sweating and shaking.

"What's up?" said Ron, looking at him with concern.

"It was Hagrid, Ron. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."

The girls woke up that morning to a knock on the twin's dormitory door.

"Lena? Calla?" Came Harry's voice on the other side. The girls looked at each other. Nobody else was awake yet; Ethan and Evie were still sprawled out on either side of them, and the twins were hidden in the curtains of their four-posters. Calla was the one to walk over to the door and open it.

"Morning, Harry, Ron," she said sleepily, looking back at her sister. As she did so, she saw Fred and George shifting in their four-posters. Lena came up beside her, waving at Harry and Ron with a sleepy Ren cradled in her arms. "What's up?" Calla said.

"We have something to tell you and Hermione," Ron said before Harry could speak. Harry nodded.

"Did something happen?" Lena asked immediately.

"It's hard to explain," Harry replied, "But there is an explanation. When we get Hermione, we'll tell you guys." The sisters looked at each other.

Lena set Ren down on the floor and the sisters followed Harry and Ron to the girls' dorms to find Hermione's room. Thankfully she was already awake, so she opened the door.

"You will not believe what I found out last night," Harry said.

"Something about the Chamber?" Hermione questioned, closing the door behind her as they all headed down the corridor to the common room.

"Yes," Calla answered, a slight smile on her face.

They all knew that Hagrid had an unfortunate liking for large and monstrous creatures. During their first year at Hogwarts he had tried to raise a dragon in his little wooden house, and it would be a long time before they forgot the giant, three-headed dog he'd christened "Fluffy". And if, as a boy, Hagrid had heard that a monster was hiding somewhere in the castle, He'd probably thought it was a shame that the monster had been cooped up so long, and thought it deserved the chance to stretch its many legs; Harry could just imagine the thirteen-year-old Hagrid trying to fit a leash and collar on it. But he was equally certain that Hagrid would never have meant to kill anybody.

Again and again, Ron and Hermione made Harry recount the events that he had seen the previous night.

"It just doesn't sound like Hagrid," Calla said. "Yes, he likes large, magical creatures…. but he would never kill anyone…" Calla and Lena were still trying to make sense of the idea that Harry had dived into a world from a simple diary. Yes, they were in a school for magic, but some things still struck them as odd.

"Riddle _might_ have had the wrong person," said Hermione. "Maybe it was some other monster that was attacking people…"

"We always knew Hagrid had been expelled," said Harry miserably. "And the attacks must've stopped after Hagrid was kicked out. Otherwise, Riddle wouldn't have got his award."

Ron tried a different tack.

"Riddle _does_ sound like Percy - who asked him to squeal on Hagrid, anyway?" Lena narrowed her eyes at him.

"But the monster had _killed_ someone, Ron," said Hermione.

"And Riddle was going to go back to some Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts," said Harry. "I don't blame him for wanting to stay here…"

"You met Hagrid down Knockturn Alley, didn't you, Harry?" Calla questioned.

"He was buying Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent," said Harry quickly.

The five of them fell silent. After a long pause, Hermione voiced the knottiest question of all in a hesitant voice.

"Do you think we should go and _ask_ Hagrid about it all?"

"That'd be a cheerful visit," said Ron. "'Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'" Calla nudged him in the ribs for this comment.

"It was a simple question, Ron," Calla said curtly.

In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Hagrid unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to him about why he had been expelled. It was now nearly four months since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacker, whoever it was, had retired for good. Peeves had finally got bored of his, "Oh Potter, you rotter" song, Ernie Macmillan asked Harry quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day, and in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy.

"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told Harry. "Then we'll be able to revive those poor people in the hospital wing."

The second years were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year, a matter that Hermione, and the Lockhart siblings, took very seriously.

"It could affect our whole future," Hermione told Harry and Ron as they pored over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks.

"I just want to give up Potions," said Harry.

"We can't," said Ron gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects, or I'd've ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"But that's very important!" said Hermione, shocked.

"Not the way Lockhart teaches it," said Ron. "I haven't learned anything from him except not to set pixies loose."

Lena and Calla laughed at this. "Do you honestly think Gilderoy will be staying after this year is over?" Calla questioned. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the sisters. They raised their hands above their heads in defense.

"Hermione," Lena said, "He honestly is a squib," the rest of the Lockharts nodded.

Percy was the only one who was willing to give advice to Harry for picking out his classes. "Depends on where you want to _go,_ Harry," he said. "It's never too early to think about the future, so I'd recommend Divination. People say Muggle Studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they're thinking of working in close contact with them - look at my father, he has to deal with Muggle business all the time. My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type, so he went for Care of Magical Creatures. Play to your strengths, Harry."

Ethan and Evie were given their classes since they were only going to be second years. Lena and Calla considered what Percy had said, and took Hermione's route, signing up for every class, including Divination, which they were rather curious about.

Gryffindor's next Quidditch match would be against Hufflepuff. Wood was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so that Harry barely had time for anything but Quidditch and homework. However, the training session were getting better, or at least dier, and the evening before Sunday's match he went up to his dormitory to drop off his broomstick feeling Gryffindor's chances for the Quidditch cup had never been better.

Lena and Calla were sitting at a table with Ron and Hermione, working on their homework. They saw Harry walk in and waved. This moment was short-lived, because Neville Longbottom saw Harry on his way downstairs from the dorm.

"Harry - I don't know who did it - I just found -"

Lena and Calla looked at each other with worried expressions and walked over to where Harry was, Ron and Hermione close behind. Neville looked at the others fearfully, and pushed open the door. Lena and Calla gasped as they saw the storm that had evidently been started in the room

The contents of Harry's trunk had been thrown everywhere. His cloak lay ripped on the floor. The bedclothes had been pulled off his four-poster and the drawer had been pulled out of his bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress. Harry walked over to the bed, open-mouthed, treading on a few loose pages of _Travels with Trolls._ As he and Neville pulled the blankets back onto his bed, Ron, Dean, and Seamus came in. Dean swore loudly.

"What happened, Harry?"

"No idea," said Harry. But Ron was examining Harry's robes. All the pockets were hanging out.

"Someone's been looking for something," said Ron. "Is there anything missing?"

Harry started to pick up all his things and throw them into his trunk, Lena and Calla felt hands on their shoulders and looked behind them. Fred and George had snuck up to where they were. It was only as Harry threw the last of the Lockhart books back into his trunk that he realized what wasn't there.

"Riddle's diary is gone," he said in an undertone to the others.

" _What?"_ they said together.

 _We'll explain later,_ Lena and Calla Kelted to Fred and George, having left them standing in front of Harry and Ron's dormitory door. They hurried down to the Gryffindor common room, which was half-empty, and joined Hermione, who was sitting alone, reading a book called _Ancient Rune Made Easy._

Hermione looked aghast at the news.

"But - only a Gryffindor could have stolen - nobody else knows our password -"

"Exactly," said Harry.

Sunday morning brought everyone bright sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze. Calla opened the windows to their dorm to let the wonderful air in for one of the rare times since they had been at Hogwarts. Lena had just remembered the piece of paper that Draco had given her a while ago, and took it out of her pocket. It was an article on a creature called a Basilisk. She showed this to Calla, who read it and looked up at her sister with an eyebrow raised.

"This could explain many things," Calla said. "But how, and where, did Draco get this information?" Lena shrugged.

"He didn't even tell me what it was about," Lena explained. "He just gave it to me."

"Let's go and show Hermione," Calla said as she put her hair up and placed a red and gold bandana as a headband in spirit of the match.

The four Lockhart siblings filed down the stairs of the dormitory to the common room, only to be greeted by Cho Chang, who accompanied them to the Great Hall and sat down across from them at the Ravenclaw table with Luna Lovegood next to her.

"Hermione isn't at the Gryffindor table," Lena said in an undertone to Calla, who looked behind her when she said this.

"Go ask Harry where she is," Calla said simply, tucking into the scrambled eggs her plate.

Lena got up and walked over to Harry, who looked up at her and smiled.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I was wondering where Hermione is," Lena said, holding the piece of paper in her hand so that no one could see. Harry raised his eyebrow.

"She just went to go to the library," Ron explained. "Said she's figured out something."

"Thanks!" Lena said happily, "I'll see you guys later, alright?" The two boys nodded, and she waved goodbye to Fred and George, who simply nodded in her direction. She headed off to the library, glancing at Draco Malfoy as she left the Great Hall.

 _Tell me what Hermione thinks of it,_ Calla Kelted to her sister, when Cho said something about Lena rushing out.

"She's just going to show Hermione something she found earlier," Calla said simply to her siblings.

Later that morning, everyone was sitting in the bleachers of the Quidditch pitch. Calla searched for Hermione and Lena, but had no sign of them. She got worried, because there had been no reply from Lena about the article. She brushed it off, refusing to believe that anything was wrong, though she felt the warmth of the lily pendant under her robes. The crowd cheered as the teams walked onto the pitch. Evie and Ethan had taken to shouting "Harry!" every time they saw him fly.

What surprised Calla the most was when Professor McGonagall walked onto the grass, a grim expression on her face, a purple megaphone in hand.

"This match has been cancelled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick.

"But Professor!" he shouted. "We've got to play - the cup - _Gryffindor -"_

Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through the megaphone.

"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of House will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!"

Calla, Evie and Ethan followed Ron through the complaining crowd to where Harry was. Harry looked at them with a confused expression. Professor McGonagall did not question this.

"Ah, Weasley, Lockharts… yes, you'll want to come along as well…" she said grimly. Calla's heart sank. She looked at Fred, who was flying down to the pitch with George.

 _Something's happened to Lena and Hermione…_ Calla said to the twins silently. They looked at each other and then at McGonagall, who nodded her head at them. They could come along as well.

"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack… a _triple_ attack…" Harry's insides did a horrible somersault. Calla's heart sank deeply into the pit of her stomach.

Madam Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly hair. Harry recognized her as a Ravenclaw they'd accidentally asked for directions to the Slytherin common room. And on the bed next to her was…

" _Hermione!"_ Ron groaned

"Lena…" Calla choked, staring at her sister's lifeless form. She looked at the other form next to Hermione. "Penelope?" Calla said with a gasp. Professor McGonagall nodded her head grimly.

"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose any of you could explain this? It was on the floor next to them…"

She was holding up a small, circular mirror.

They all shook their heads, looking down at the two lifeless forms. Calla felt Fred's arm around her shoulders. George kept her siblings close to him, a hand on either of their shoulders as they stared, wide-eyed. Calla looked from Hermione to Lena and back again. Hermione was holding her arm up to the sky, her hand in a small fist.

"I shall escort you all back to Gryffindor Tower," Professor McGonagall said. "Fred, George,," she said, looking at the twins consoling the three siblings, "Escort the Lockharts to Ravenclaw where Professor Flitwick will explain to you what happens now." The twins nodded, obeying their Head of House. Calla made the quick decision to hug Harry and Ron before they left.

When they reached Ravenclaw Tower and entered the common room, it was filled with silent, scared faces. Cho and Marcus beckoned the group over to them on the couch where they sat, waiting for Professor Flitwick to say what he needed to say. The professor in question stood on one of the desks in the middle of the room, with all eyes on his small and stubby form.

"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock every evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities." Professor Flitwick squeaked to the entire room. Once he had finished, Marcus had to help him down from the desk. Calla walked up to the professor and looked down at him desperately.

"Professor Flitwick?" Calla said, to which the elf looked up with a small smile on his face.

"Ah, Miss Lockhart," he said gently. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if me, Ethan and Evie could stay with Fred and George for the time being," Calla explained, playing with the pendant that hung around her neck nervously. "We all agreed that it feels off without Lena in the room…"

Professor Flitwick nodded once and tried his best to smile at her.

"Under these unfortunate circumstances," he squeaked, "I am allowing you and your siblings to stay with the Weasleys for the rest of the time being, until we find out who is attacking the students."

Calla looked gratefully at her professor. "Thank you," she said with a weak smile on her lips, as tears threatened to fall.

"You are, of course, welcome to come back anytime as you wish," Flitwick added as she walked back to her siblings. They nodded at him and thanked him.

"Come on," Fred said lightly, "Let's get your stuff."

The twins waited patiently for the group of siblings to pack up their trunks in their dorm. They even took Merlin, their owl, in his cage. The quintet walked out of the room once it was rather clear of extra things lying around, and journeyed to Gryffindor Tower. Calla was on the verge of tears the entire time, but did not dare let them drop, for the sake of her siblings. Fred kept his arm around her as they walked, George manning Ethan and Evie.

They arrived in the Gryffindor common room, welcomed by the talking of everyone inside. Harry and Ron walked up to them and helped them with their stuff.

"Thanks," Calla said in a quiet voice, as they reached Fred and George's room. Harry rested a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be alright," he said, consoling her.

When they went back to the common room, Lee Jordan was counting off the people that have henceforth been petrified. "That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, two Ravenclaws, and one Hufflepuff," he counted them off with his fingers. "Haven't _any_ of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it _obvious_ all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The _Heir_ of Slytherin, the _monster_ of Slytherin - why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause.

"Because that would be inconsiderate," Calla said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "And it would look ill-informed on the school's part." Some people looked at her like she was crazy, which she ignored, but others nodded their heads in realization. "Just because someone is in Slytherin, does not automatically make them a prick," she said in finality, sitting down on the couch in front of the fire next to Fred and George. Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn't seem keen to make his views heard. he was looking pale and stunned.

"Percy's in shock," George told them quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl - Penelope Clearwater - she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a _prefect."_ Calla nudged him in the side, to which he looked at her and shrugged. Fred sat back down on the couch and handed her a glass of water.

 _What are we going to do?_ Calla Kelted to Harry and Ron, voicing their thoughts. They looked at her and shrugged.

 _Do you think they suspect Hagrid?_ Ron questioned. Calla took a sip of water as Fred slid his arm around her shoulders. She looked at him with a grateful smile.

 _I don't think they do. I really don't think Hagrid would do this,_ Calla finally replied, looking back at the two boys.

 _We've got to go and talk to him,_ Harry said, making up his mind. _I can't believe it's him this time, but if he set the monster loose last time he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets, and that's a start._

 _You guys go,_ Calla said. _I can't really talk to anyone right now._ They saw the look in her eyes and nodded once, getting up to leave the room.

 _We'll see you tomorrow, Calla,_ Harry said as they went up to the dormitory.

Harry and Ron went to their dorm to retrieve Harry's Invisibility Cloak in order to walk down to Hagrid's hut. It was their only chance of sneaking out of the school to visit him without anyone knowing about it. They went to bed at the usual time, waited until Neville, Dean, and Seamus had stopped discussing the Chamber of Secrets and finally fallen asleep, then got up, dressed again, and threw the cloak over themselves.

The two boys went, wearily, down to Hagrid's hut in the dark. Harry, who had wandered the castle at night several times before, had never seen it so crowded after sunset. Teachers, prefects, and ghosts were marching the corridors in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. Their Invisibility Cloak didn't stop them making any noise, and there was a particularly tense moment when Ron stubbed his toe only yards from the spot where Snape stood standing guard. Thankfully, Snape sneezed at almost exactly the moment Ron swore. It was with relief that they reached the oak front doors and eased them open.

They reached Hagrid's only to be welcomed by him aiming a crossbow at them. Only when Fang barked from behind him did he know that it was them. He was expecting someone. Soon, Dumbledore had arrived at the front door with a very odd-looking man, who happened to be Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. He was wearing a strange mixture of clothes; a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie, a long black cloak, and pointed purple boots. Under his arm he carried a lime green bowler hat. Hagrid was nervous and sweaty.

Cornelius Fudge had arrived there in order to discuss bad business with Hagrid. He indirectly accused Hagrid of the attacks on the students at Hogwarts. Dumbledore gave his confidence in Hagrid, explaining that to Fudge. The minister explained that Hagrid's record was against his chances. They were going to take Hagrid somewhere for a short stretch of time, not as a punishment, but as a precaution.

"Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid.

There was another loud rap on the door. Dumbledore answered. It was Harry's turn for an elbow in the ribs; he'd let out an audible gasp.

Mr. Lucius Malfoy strode into Hagrid's hut, swathed in a long, black traveling cloak, smiling a cold and satisfied smile. Fang started to growl. Hagrid shouted at Draco's father to get out of his house. Mr. Malfoy stated that he was there for Dumbledore and that he would have to step aside as headmaster of the school, for the time being. Fudge looked as though he knew nothing of this and spluttered his words at Lucius. Dumbledore explained that if the governors wanted his removal, that he would step aside.

Of course, this met utter and complete shock from the Minister and Hagrid.

"However," said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will only _truly_ have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

After Harry and Ron had left the common room a few hours earlier, Calla looked at Fred and George.

"I want to go and see Lena," she said. It was only five o'clock, so they could not stop her from seeing her sister. The twins nodded.

"Would you want us to come with you?" Ethan and Evie questioned, looking at their older sister, Evie's eyes damp with tears that she had been able to shed. Calla shook her head.

"You guys stay here," she said, her voice of shaky finality. "You guys stay here with Fred and George, alright? I'll be back soon." Fred squeezed her shoulders.

 _I'll be careful,_ she Kelted to her siblings as she hugged them before she left the common room.

Calla walked swiftly, looking around every corner of the castle, which was surprisingly empty at this hour apart from a few prefects that were prowling the corridors. She arrived at the infirmary only a few minutes later, to find a sad looking Draco Malfoy standing at the edge of Lena's bed. She tilted her head in confusion, completely forgetting her hatred for him because of what happened to her sister.

"Draco?" she said, walking into the hospital. Draco looked up in surprise, only to scowl when he saw Calla. She sighed heavily, and quickly wiped her tears out of her eyes when she saw Lena.

"I have a right to visit my sister, Draco," she said, "So stop scowling at me." Calla looked at Lena, and saw something shiny on her nightstand. Something that hadn't been there before. A small, silver chained bracelet with a smooth, marble-looking charm hanging from it. A note lay under its weight.

"Fine," Draco said thinly. Calla smiled slightly and looked back at the petrified Lena.

"What do you have against me, anyway?" Calla asked, looking at the platinum blond boy and crossing her arms. "It's not like I did anything to you." He raised an eyebrow at her, and scowled. She sighed. "Again with the scowling… you keep doing that and your face will stay that way forever, you know." Calla figured that if she was nice to him now, while Lena was petrified, that they could surprise her when she was revived. She explained this to Draco, to which he shrugged.

"It's an… idea," he said, folding his arms. He looked at Lena.

"You're just going to have get over the fact that I'm a half-breed," Calla said simply, looking at him. "But if you can get over it with Lena, you should be okay."

 _And you'll also have to get over the fact that we're both friends with the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry, alright?_ Calla Kelted in finality. Draco shrugged. She walked up to him, standing up straighter. _Oh,_ she said, _and if you ever hurt her, in any way, you go through me._ She held out her hand. _Just thought you should know._ He hesitated, and she saw that he had a misty expression on his face like Evie had. He took the offer and shook on it.

Calla looked at Hermione, Lena, and Penelope. Her heart still sank when she looked at her petrified friends. But she had to keep up the hope that Professor Sprout would have the Mandrakes ready soon. They were still quickly maturing.

"See you later, Blondie," Calla said, slightly nudging him in the side as she walked past. She saw the faintest hint of a smile on his lips when she looked back at him before heading back to the Gryffindor common room.


	8. Chapter 8

Draco Malfoy let a small smile cross his face as Calla headed towards the door. He heard the door to the hospital wing close and looked down at the still body of his friend, his smile dropping instantly. He looked at Lena's face, her skin abnormally pale and her usually bright caramel eyes were now glassy and unblinking, her facial expression frozen in a look of terror. His gaze shifted nervously to the silver bracelet that sat on top of a piece of paper on Lena's bedside table. He knew Calla had seen the bracelet, his nervousness stemmed from the fact that he had been planning to give Lena the bracelet when he could see her reaction to it. Now, he would have to wait until Lena was cured to see what she thought about it. _I just hope nobody finds it and takes it before she sees it._ Draco thought as he looked back at Lena.

"You should have been more careful, Lena." Draco whispered to her as he grasped one of her stone still hands, squeezing it lightly. "Sorry for giving you such a hard time all year… I didn't mean to make you that angry, I just couldn't help it." he mumbled.

He lightly squeezed Lena's hand one last time before letting go of it and walking away from the bed. Once he had reached the door leading out of the hospital wing, he turned his head looked over his shoulder one last time before leaving the room and walking swiftly through the halls and down to the Slytherin common room.

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Summer had started to descend over the school grounds and castle, turning the sky and lake a soft shade of blue. and flowers bloomed all over the grounds. But, to Harry, Ron and Calla, nothing looked right without Hagrid walking through the grounds with Fang at his heels. To them, even the beautiful scenery outside didn't seem much better than the chaos unfolding inside the castle.

Harry, Ron, and Calla had tried to visit Hermione and Lena, but Madam Pomfrey had told them that visitors were no longer allowed inside the infirmary.

"I'm sorry, but we are not taking any more chances. There might be a chance that the attacker might come back and try to finish them off." Madam Pomfrey had told them through the crack in the hospital wing door.

Calla, Evie and Ethan had been staying with Fred and George in their room in Gryffindor Tower, but even that didn't seem as happy and loud as usual. Evie and Ethan had taken to sleeping on either side of Calla, all three of them curled up and huddled together every night, as if to prevent being separated. Ethan had also gotten into the habit of holding onto Lena's favorite wolf plushie, in order to feel like she was there with them as well. All three of them were going out of their minds due to the fear and worry of the attacks.

With Dumbledore now gone, fear had found a home in the hearts of most of the students at Hogwarts. It seemed as though the sun's warmth never made it through the windows. Almost every student's face held the expression of fear and everyone seemed tense and on edge. There was barely any laughter ringing through the halls anymore.

Once Harry and Ron had told Calla about what had happened at Hagrid's hut, the three of them had decided to take Hagrid's hint on following the spiders, but they couldn't find a spider anywhere inside the castle.

"Guys, there isn't anything else that gives us the slightest hint on what to do! And in case nobody has noticed, the spiders have all decided the leave the castle." Calla said to them in frustration one day.

"And, we can't we aren't allowed to wander off anymore either…" Ron mumbled in agreement. While most of the students were glad and felt better being escorted to classes by teachers, Harry, Ron and Calla found it annoying.

Although there was still one person that still seemed to be enjoying everything that was still going on, but even he didn't even seem as annoying as usual. Draco Malfoy strutted through the corridors proudly with a satisfied look on his face. Although, Harry, Ron and Calla didn't realize the reason for his satisfaction until a Potions class, about two weeks after Hagrid and Dumbledore's departure from the school when they heard him talking to Crabbe and Goyle.

"I always knew my father would be the one to get rid of Dumbledore." Draco drawled to Crabbe and Goyle, not even bothering to keep his voice down. "I told you that he thinks Dumbledore is the worst Headmaster ever at this school. Maybe we'll get a decent Headmaster now. McGonagall's only filling in so she won't last long." he said.

At that moment, Snape walked past the Harry, Ron and Calla's table, not even making a comment on Hermione and Lena's empty seats.

"Sir?" Draco asked Snape as he was passing, "Why don't you apply for the Headmaster position?" he asked.

"Now, Now, Malfoy." Snape replied, a small and thin smile on his face, "Professor Dumbledore was only suspended by the governors. I think he will be back soon enough."

"Yeah right." Draco said, smirking, "I think you would have Father's vote if you wanted to be the Headmaster, sir. I'll tell him that you're the best teacher here, sir," he added as Snape walked away, smirking. Seamus Finnigan pretended to vomit in his caldron at the little encounter. Calla rolled her eyes as she stirred the potion she was working on.

"I'm kinda surprised that the Mudbloods haven't packed up their bags and left the castle already." Draco continued, "I'm willing to bet that the next one attacked, dies. Too bad it wasn't Granger…" he said.

As the bell rang and everyone started to pack their things up. Ron had jumped up and would have lunged towards Draco if Harry and Dean hadn't held him back by his arms. Calla gave Draco a withering glare as he stood up from his seat.

 _You mean the same attack that would have killed Lena, too? The only one of us who actually liked you?_ she shouted in Draco's head, causing him to flinch. _I really thought you would at least watch your mouth now… You do realize I'm only trying to be nice to you for my sister's sake, but you are not making it easy,_ she said in his mind, glaring at the back of his head as they were escorted to their next class by Professor Snape. Draco slightly inclined his head in guilt at the reminder of his friend in the hospital wing. Calla stayed at the back of the group with her friends, Harry and Dean, still holding on to Ron's arms in case.

"Let me at him!" Ron growled angrily, struggling against their grip, "I don't care if I can't use my wand, I'll kill him with my bare hands!" he said. Harry and Dean only let go of Ron's arms when they had been led out of the castle on their way to their Herbology lesson.

Herbology class was very calm and subdued, there were only three people missing in the class, Justin, Hermione and Lena.

Professor Sprout had them all working on pruning Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Calla and Ron continued to work on the Shrivelfig as Harry went to through some of the withered stalks in the compost pile. As Harry was throwing away the stalks, Ernie walked up to him. Ernie took a deep breath and said, "Hey, I just wanted to say I'm sorry that I suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger or Lena Lockhart, and I want to apologize for everything I said. So, I'm sorry." he held out one of his hands out towards Harry, who held out his own and shook Ernie's hand. Then, Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work with Calla, Ron and Harry on the same Shrivelfig.

"That Draco Malfoy though." Ernie said, breaking the silence. "he looks pretty pleased with all of this. I think he might be the heir of Slytherin." he added.

"Oh how clever." Ron mumbled, he didn't seem to have forgiven Ernie entirely yet.

"What about you, Harry? Do you think it's Malfoy?" Ernie asked.

"No." Harry said firmly, making Ernie and Hannah stare at him. Calla sighed, seeing their expressions.

"Don't mind them, we're all a bit frustrated." Calla said to Ernie and Hannah, "And as for the Draco Malfoy thing… None of us think it's him. You see, he got along pretty well with Lena so I don't think he's the one to attack them." she explained. They nodded their head in understanding, smiling lightly at her.

A few seconds later, Harry saw something that made him hit Ron. Ron yelped in pain and looked at Harry, catching Calla's attention too. Harry only silently pointed at something on the ground a few feet away from them. There were several big spiders, scuttling across the ground, heading to the Forbidden Forest.

Ron looked very unpleased as he looked at the spiders, "Oh yeah… but we can't follow them now." he said, looking unhappy as he realized where the spiders were heading. Ernie and Hannah listened to their conversation, confusion written on their faces, but stayed silent.

When the lesson finally ended, Professor Sprout waited for them all to get ready, then walked them over to their next class. Which, to Calla's misfortune, happened to be Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry, Calla, and Ron walked behind the rest of the group so they could talk without the anyone else hearing them.

"I think we'll need the Invisibility Cloak again." Harry said to Calla and Ron. "And we should take Fang with us. He has been in the Forest with Hagrid many times, so he might be able to help us." Harry added. Calla nodded her head in agreement, but Ron looked unsure.

"Okay…" Ron said, looking at Calla and Harry nervously, "Uh… isn't there a story of there being werewolves in the Forest?" he asked them as they all sat down in their seats in the DADA classroom.

Calla and Harry exchanged a look and chose not to answer that. "There are centaurs and unicorns there, too." Harry said.

"Yeah, not everything in there is bad." Calla added in reassurance.

Harry and Calla had only been inside the Forbidden Forest once before, when they had to go in for detention last year. Ron on the other hand, had never been in there before, due to him being injured when they got caught. Harry and Calla had both hoped that they would never have to go inside the Forest again, but here they were, planning on going into the Forest by choice this time.

Soon, the bell rang and Lockhart walked into the classroom, looking around at his students. He noticed that all the students just stared at him as he smiled. "Oh, why the long faces?" he asked them. Everyone looked at each other exasperatedly, but said nothing. Lockhart sighed and looked around the room. "Now, I understand that you are all worried because of all the attacks. Even my own beloved niece was attacked-" Calla scoffed at his fake concern - "But, don't you all realize that nobody is in danger anymore? The culprit has been taken away." he said, smiling brightly.

"Says who?" Dean asked him loudly.

"Well young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid away if he wasn't absolutely certain that he was guilty." Lockhart answered confidently.

"Yes he would…" Ron said to him.

"Well Mr. Weasley, I think I would know more about Hagrid's arrest then you would." Lockhart said to him, satisfied. Ron had almost started to protest when Harry kicked him under the desk, reminding that they were not meant to be there.

The rest of the lesson went on, making Harry, Ron and Calla more irritated as it continued. Professor Lockhart kept up his cheeriness and how he always knew that Hagrid was not a good person. He was so confident that he was right, too, it made Harry want to throw his book in Lockhart's face and Calla continued to glare at her uncle.

 _Let's go tonight._ Harry said in Ron and Calla's minds. They looked at him and nodded their heads, although Ron still seemed hesitant. But one look towards Lena and Hermione's empty seats and they all came to a mutual agreement. They needed to find the real heir.

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Harry, Ron and Calla sat in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for the others to all go to bed. The room was really crowded due to the curfew time being moved to six o'clock. Also, since most of the students had a lot to talk about and nowhere else to go, the common room stayed crowded until past midnight every night.

Right after dinner, Harry had gone and got his Invisibility Cloak and had spent the rest of the time sitting on it to hide it. Calla, Evie, Ethan and Ginny sat in armchairs as Harry and Ron played a game of Exploding Snap with Fred and George. Harry and Ron had started to lose the games on purpose to end the games quickly so Fred and George would go up to bed. Finally, Fred, George, Ginny, Evie and Ethan all went up to bed after midnight.

Once they had made sure that nobody else was in the common room and the last of the dormitory doors closed, Harry, Ron and Calla all grabbed the Cloak. They threw it over themselves and climbed through the portrait hole. They had a difficult time, but they managed to slip past all the teachers and make it to the Entrance Hall door. They silently slid the lock off the door and squeezed through the doors and onto the dark grounds, only visible from the moonlight.

"There might not even be anything to follow inside the Forest." Ron said nervously as they quickly walked towards Hagrid's hut. "The spiders might not be going into the Forest, they could have been only moving in the general direction…" he said, some hope in his voice.

They soon reached Hagrid's hut and walked through the door. Fang started barking excitedly as soon as he saw the three of them. Calla immediately started petting and shushing him in the hopes of getting him to stop barking. Harry and Ron quickly fed Fang a piece of fudge, which stuck his teeth together and got him to quiet down, all the while worrying about being caught out of the school past curfew. Harry placed the Invisibility Cloak on the table inside Hagrid's hut, feeling like they wouldn't be needing and guided Fang out of the house, telling him they were going for a walk.

Fang followed the three of them happily as they walked to the edge of the Forest. Harry cast the illumination spell and the end of his wand lit up slightly so they could see in front of them.

"Good idea." Ron said, "I would light mine too, but… I'd probably end up blowing something up…" Ron added. Calla rolled her eyes and brought out her own wand and used the same spell Harry did in order to light her wand.

They continued walking along the path until Harry pointed out a couple of little spiders hurrying away from the light and into the trees. They hurriedly changed their path and headed through the trees with Fang running behind them happily. They followed the spiders in silence, going deeper and deeper into the Forest. They tried to see what the spiders were hurrying to, but couldn't see anything except the little circle of light cast by Harry and Calla's wands.

'What do you think?" Harry asked Calla and Ron. Calla shrugged and turned towards Ron who sighed.

"Well, we've come this far, no point in turning back now." Ron said with a sigh.

They continued to follow the spiders through the thick trees. They couldn't walk as quickly now due to the tree roots all over the ground and not having enough light. A few times they had to stop and crouch on the ground in order to find the spiders again and once they had almost tripped over a giant root. They walked for quite a while with some trouble of their robes getting caught on the branches and such when they finally reached a small area where they spotted some spiders. As they continued to walk, they noticed that the ground had started to slope downwards through the thick trees. Suddenly, Calla and Ron jumped as Harry grabbed them and made them stop.

"What's wrong?" Ron and Calla asked him as he tightly held onto their arms.

"Listen… something big is moving over there." Harry whispered to them. They all grew silent and focused their ears to hear any noises. They heard the snapping of twigs a short distance away from them. Ron had started to freak out and Calla had slowly inched to stand slightly behind Harry and Ron.

"Shut up." Harry said to Ron, slightly panicking, "It'll hear you." he said.

"Hear me!?" Ron said, his voice getting high-pitched, "It's already heard Fang!"

"W-What even is it?" Calla whispered to them as they stood, rooted to the spot in fear and listened to the creature.

"I don't know… But it's doing something…" Harry whispered back.

"Probably getting ready to attack us." Ron added unhelpfully. They stood there for a couple of minutes, too afraid to move or make any kind of noise until they stopped hearing it.

"I think it's gone." Harry whispered.

"Yeah, Hopefully-" Ron was cut off by a sudden light blazing from their right. The light was so bright that they had to throw their arms in front of their eyes to shield them. Once their eyes had finally adjusted to the light, Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "Harry, Calla, it's our car!" he said.

"What?" Harry and Calla said in surprise as they stumbled behind Ron towards the light. They stumbled and tripped over branches and roots on the ground as they finally reached a clearing. There stood Mr. Weasley's car, empty and under a roof of thick tree branches with it's light on. Ron walked over to it, open mouthed and surprised as it inched towards him too.

"It's been here the whole time!" Ron said relieved. Harry and Calla walked up to him as well, Harry looking at the ground for the trail of spiders, but they seemed to all have run away from the glaring lights.

Harry turned to the others and said, "Come on, we should try to find the trail again, because we lost the spiders…" he trailed off as he noticed that Ron and Calla were both looking behind him with horror on their faces. "What…?" he said, but didn't even have enough time to turn around before he heard a clicking noise and something hairy wrapped around his middle, lifting him up in the air. He tried to struggle but couldn't break free from the grip, he looked down and saw that Ron was now being lifted off from the ground, followed by Calla who gave a small squeak and her eyes turned a piercing green as she was lifted up. Fang whimpered lightly and started to howl once Harry, Ron and Calla were carried deeper into the Forest and away from the car.

Harry looked around and saw that they were all being carried by huge spiders, the size of cart houses. Once they had reached a clearing deep in the Forest, they were all dropped back onto the ground in the middle of several giant spiders. They all landed on the ground with a slight 'Oof!' as they all ungracefully fell on the dark grass. As they all looked up, Calla gasped and took a step backwards as they all stared, in fear, at dozens of spiders standing in front of them.

"Aragog! Aragog!" One of the spiders that had carried them called out from behind them. Then, suddenly, from under a domed web in the middle of the clearing, a giant spider, the size of a baby elephant emerged. His eyes were a milky white color, meaning he was blind. Calla and the others saw his black and grey body as it emerged from the web.

"What is it." Aragog clicked through his pincers. "I was sleeping…"

"Men." the other spider clicked.

"Hagrid." Aragog asked.

"Strangers." the spider answered.

"Kill them, then." Aragog said immediately.

"W-We're friends of Hagrid's." Harry yelled out in fear. His heart hammered in his chest as he looked up at Aragog.

Aragog paused in confusion as the other spiders around the hollow clicked their pincers. "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before." he said to them slowly in suspicion.

"He's in trouble." Harry answered. "That's the reason we came here." he added, his breathing getting quicker.

"He's in trouble?" the spider repeated as a question in concern. "But, why you three?" he asked.

"At the school, they think Hagrid was the one setting a… something on the students. They took him to Azkaban." Harry explained to Aragog.

Aragog looked furious, his pincers clicked quickly, echoing along with all the others spiders who followed suit and clicked their own pincers. "But, that was years ago!" he said quickly. "Many years ago! I remember it clearly. That's the reason they forced him to leave the school. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber of Secrets and I was the monster that dwelled within it." he said.

"And y-you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets…?" Harry asked him nervously.

Calla lightly nudged him with her elbow, _Harry… n-not a good idea to offend the scary spider that planned on killing us a few minutes ago… h-he might take the question the wrong way._ she said in his mind.

"I!" Aragog yelled out angrily. "I was not born inside that castle! I'm from a distant land. I was given to Hagrid when I was only an egg and Hagrid took care of me in a cupboard in the castle when he was a boy. Hagrid is a good friend and a good man. He protected me when they found me and blamed me for the death of a girl. Ever since that event, I have lived here in the Forest with Hagrid visiting me occasionally. Here, my family is also growing as you can see." Aragog explained.

"So you never killed anyone?" Harry asked, mustering up his courage.

"No I have not." Aragog answered. "It is my instinct, but due to my respect for Hagrid, I have never harmed a human. Also, I have never seen anything inside that castle except for my cupboard where I grew up and the Girl's body was found in a bathroom." he explained.

"Then… Do you _know_ what killed the girl?" Calla asked Aragog.

"Because whatever it was, it's back and attacking people again." Harry said.

"Like my sister…" Calla mumbled but was quickly drowned out by the sound of clicking coming from around them as the spiders moved around angrily.

"The monster that lives in the castle is something that we spiders fear more than anything. I remember begging Hagrid to let me go when I sensed it inside the castle." Aragog said to them vaguely.

"What is it though?" Harry asked him.

"We do not speak of it!" Aragog said angrily. "Hagrid asked me many times, but we do not say the name of that dreaded creature!" he said.

 _Don't push it more..._ Calla muttered into Harry's mind as she stared up at the angry giant spider in front of them. Harry nodded his head, agreeing that it was not a good idea to anger Aragog anyway. The spiders all closed in tighter around Calla, Harry and Ron. Aragog backed away, back into the domed web while the others close in more, tired of talking.

"Well, we'll just get going then." Harry said nervously as he heard something behind them.

"Go?" Aragog asked, "Go where? You cannot leave." he said.

"Bu-but…" Harry stuttered.

Aragog cut him off, "My sons and daughters do not hurt Hagrid because of me, but I can't say anything if fresh meat willingly wanders into our hollow." he said. "Goodbye." he added as the spiders moved closer.

Harry, Calla and Ron spun around to run away, but were met by a giant spider a few feet away from them and blocking their path. They all reached for their wands but they all knew it was hopeless. They were surrounded and outnumbered by the giant spiders. Then, suddenly, a loud noise echoed through the hollow. Immediately following the sound, Mr. Weasley's car sped over to Harry and the others, barreling through the spiders with it's headlights glaring. The car blared its horn again as it came to a stop in front of them and it's doors flew open.

"Let's go!" Harry shouted and they all ran into the car quickly. Ron grabbed Fang and tossed him into the back seat as Calla crawled into the back as well. Harry dove into the front seat and Ron took the driver's seat. The car doors forcibly slammed shut on their own and the car sped away without Ron touching the accelerator. They climbed up the slope and out of the hollow, knocking over several more spiders in the process. They were soon barreling through the Forest, weaving through tree and the wind whipping around them.

Harry looked towards his friends and saw their terrified expressions, Ron had his mouth open in a silent scream and Calla looked out the window, her eyes practically glowing green. "You two okay?" he asked them.

Calla nodded her head, "Y-yeah, I'm fine, despite the fact that we nearly got eaten by some giant spiders!" she said, shakily. Ron on the other hand didn't say anything at all as he stared out of the windshield in fear.

The car drove on for a couple more minutes with Calla, Ron, Harry and Fang bouncing on the seats due to the rough and rocky path until it suddenly slammed to a stop, and Harry and Ron were almost thrown into the windshield while Calla nearly slammed into the back of Harry's seat. They saw the sky above them and realized that they had reached the edge of the Forest. Calla quickly opened one of the back doors and Fang jumped out of the car and ran towards Hagrid's hut. Calla followed after Fang, getting out of the car and quickly walking towards the hut. Ron seemed to finally remember how to move and threw himself out of the car. Finally, Harry got out of the and watched as it reversed back into the Forest disappeared behind the trees.

Harry then hurried over to Hagrid's hut and grabbed his Invisibility cloak and found Fang already in his basket, shaking under a giant blanket. When he walked back outside, he saw Ron violently vomiting near the pumpkin patch while Calla rubbed his back soothingly.

"Follow the spiders…" Ron mumbled weakly wiping his mouth. "Why couldn't it have been follow the butterflies? We're lucky to be alive!" he said.

"Hagrid probably thought that Aragog wouldn't hurt anyone…" Harry said to them.

"He always thinks that the monsters aren't as everyone says and look where he is now! In a cell in Azkaban!" Ron burst out, "What was even the point of sending us in there?! What did we even learn?" he asked.

"We learned one thing…" Calla interjected, "Hagrid is innocent."

Harry nodded his head, "He never opened the Chamber of Secrets." he added. He then threw the cloak over himself, Calla and Ron and they all started their walk back to the castle.

Harry shifted the cloak slightly over them so that they were completely hidden as they drew closer to the castle. They pushed the giant doors open slightly and quietly walked through them. They rushed passed the corridors, narrowly avoiding the staff members everywhere. Finally, minutes later, they reached the Gryffindor Tower. They called out the password and walked into the common room where they threw the cloak off.

Calla said a quick goodnight to Harry and Ron as they headed up to their dorm room and she crept back into Fred and George's room. She slowly pushed the the door open and silently grabbed her pajamas, heading to the bathroom. She giggled slightly as she heard Fred and George snoring lightly from their blanket burritos on the beds while walking past them. Once she had changed and gotten ready for bed, she left the bathroom and crawled into the fort where Ethan and Evie were sleeping. In the faint light that was shining through the windows she saw her younger sister and brother curled up with a space between them for Calla. As Calla crawled between Ethan and Evie and settled herself between them, she looked at them for a minute with a slight smile on her face. She noticed that Ethan had his back facing her and was curled up around something, clutching it tightly. She shifted curiously to look at the object in his arms and her heart clenched slightly as she saw it. Ethan was curled up tightly, hugging Lena's wolf plushie to his chest as he slept. Calla smiled lightly and ran her hands gently through Evie and Ethan's hair a couple of times before settling down and falling asleep between them.

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The next day, Calla meets up with Ron and Harry after breakfast and they all head over to their Transfiguration class together. On the way there, Harry and Ron told Calla about their idea of Moaning Myrtle being the person the Basilisk had killed. Calla thought over the theory a bit before agreeing that it could be a possibility, considering Aragog said that the person died in a bathroom. They tried to come up with a way to ask her, but they all agreed that sneaking into a girls' bathroom near the scene of the first attack would be a lot harder for Harry and Ron than looking for and following spiders. They discussed the plans all through Transfiguration class, but in the last few minutes of class, Professor McGonagall announce that their exams would be starting in one week, which drove all thoughts about the Chamber of Secrets out of their head for a little while.

"We still have exams!?" Seamus yells out incredulously. "I thought they would have been canceled!" he says loudly.

"The whole reason the school is still open at this point is for you all to be educated." Professor McGonagall said sternly, "You all should already be revising for the exams because they will not be canceled or postponed."

By the grumbling and looks of disappointment on everyone's faces, it looked like exams hadn't been on anyone's top priority. Calla, Harry and Ron knew for sure that they had more important things to worry about than exams. Harry tried to recall everything he had learned this year, but nothing really came to mind. He exchanged a nervous look with Ron as Calla shuffled feverishly through her notes, trying to find the things that would be important enough to be on the final exams. Ron made a nervous comment on how he can't possibly take exams with his broken wand, earning looks of sympathy from Harry and Calla as they all walked out to their next class.

After all their classes for the day had ended, Calla found herself sitting on the floor inside the fort with Ethan and Evie. They had decided that it was time that they tell their parents about what had happened to Lena and why they hadn't written in a while. Calla sat cross-legged with a piece of parchment in one hand and a quill in the other hand. After a few minutes of contemplation on how to break the news to their parents, Calla finally took a deep breath and began to write:

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _Sorry we haven't written in a while, we've been slightly busy with everything going on over here. The heir of Slytherin still hasn't been found but almost everyone suspects it's Hagrid even though he is innocent! Nobody knows who the actual heir is as far as we know, but more people have been attacked and petrified..._

 _Also… another reason we haven't written in a while is because we have been too scared and worried about something… I don't know if you two know yet, but… Lena was attacked by the monster too. She was with our friend, Hermione, and a Ravenclaw prefect named Penelope Clearwater when everybody else was at the Quidditch match when it happened. The match was cancelled and we were called into the hospital wing and we saw her. They should be able to revive all the petrified people soon though! The teachers are working hard to finish the cure, so hopefully everyone will be back soon._

 _But other than that news, there hasn't really been much else going on. Madam Pomfrey won't let us visit Lena or anyone else for the safety of the victims. One of our professors just told us today that exams are only a week away! We thought exams would have been cancelled after everything that has happened and by the looks of it, nobody even thought about exams or classes in general for the past several weeks…_

 _Anyway, we'll keep you posted on the situation here at school but until then, farewell._

 _Love you,_

 _Calla, Ethan and Evie._

Calla finished up the letter and folded it up, putting it in the envelope that Evie handed to her. Then she attached the letter to Merlin's leg and Ethan crawled outside and guided Merlin to the open window. Merlin spread his wings and flew through the window, flying away to deliver the letter.

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It was three days before the final exams started and Calla, Evie and Ethan sat at the Ravenclaw table with Luna, Padma and Cho. Professor McGonagall suddenly stood up to make an announcement.

"I have some good news for you all." she says loudly so that everyone can hear her. Unlike when Dumbledore talked and everyone fell into silence, this time, everyone started talking all at once.

"Is Dumbledore coming back?" some people asked loudly.

"You caught the Slytherin heir." more people shouted out, happily.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" Oliver Wood yelled excitedly, earning many strange looks from various people.

McGonagall waits for the the chatter to stop. People realize that she is not going to say anything until it is quiet again and they all fall into silence. "I have been informed by Professor Sprout that the Mandrakes are ready now. By tonight, all the petrified victims will be revived, hopefully. I also hope that at least one of them might be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. We might be able to end this year by catching the culprit of this entire horrible mess." she announced.

Cheers broke out all around the Great Hall as everyone heard this news. When Calla, Ethan and Evie looked over at the Slytherin table, they saw that Draco was trying, and failing, to hide the wide smile of joy that was making it's way onto her face. Calla, Ethan and Evie were all really happy after hearing the news too, Lena was finally going to get cured!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Around late morning that day, Calla, Ron and Harry and the rest of their DADA class were led to their next lesson by Lockhart. Professor Lockhart kept going on about how all these security measures were not needed because he was so sure that Hagrid was the culprit.

"I don't know why Professor McGonagall insists on all of these security measures… I mean I am 100% sure that Hagrid was the person attacking them." he ranted to the class as they walked through the halls

"Of course, sir." Harry said agreeing with Professor Lockhart. Calla and Ron looked at him questioningly.

"I mean, we teachers have a lot to do besides escorting students to classes and guarding the doors at night." Professor Lockhart said.

"Yeah, you must be really busy, Uncle." Calla said, playing along with Harry. _He is being so unprofessional…_ she said in Harry and Ron's minds. They silently chuckled as Ron piped up next.

"You can go back to your own class, sir. We only have a little more to walk before getting to our next class anyway." Ron said to Professor Lockhart.

Lockhart suddenly stopped and turned towards Ron, "Yes, I think I will do that, Mr. Weasley." he said, nodding his head. "I need to go an prepare for my next class." he said before turning and walking away, leaving the students alone in the hallway.

"And he is irresponsible too… go figure…" Calla said under her breath, causing Ron and Harry to chuckle.

"Come on, let's get to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and ask her about the monster." Harry said and led the way as the three of them darted away from the rest of the group. They were just about to reach when suddenly a voice made them stop in their tracks.

"What do you three think you are doing, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Miss Lockhart?" Professor McGonagall's voice said from behind them, frowning at them.

"P-Professor! We… we were just… umm… going to see.." Ron stutters and trails off.

"Hermione and Lena." Harry pipes up, Calla, Ron and Professor McGonagall stares at him before Calla finally catches on.

"Yes, thats right Professor." Calla adds. "I haven't seen my sister and Hermione in so long…" she added causing Harry to nod.

"We thought we would sneak into the hospital wing and tell them that the Mandrakes are ready and that they would be better soon." Harry explains.

McGonagall stares at them, but a look of sympathy soon crosses her face. "Yes… it is the hardest on the friends and family of the ones who have been petrified. I understand the need to see someone you care about…" she said. "Of course, you three can go and see Miss Granger and Miss Lockhart." she said, earning surprised looks from the three students. "I will inform Professor Binns about your whereabouts and you can just let Madam Pomfrey know that I gave you permission." she said to them. Harry, Ron and Calla nodded before walking away and heading towards the hospital wing, looks of pure surprise and amazement on their faces.

"That was very shocking…" Ron muttered as they all changed their course and headed towards the hospital wing instead of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Calla walked close to the window for a moment and whistled loudly. Harry and Ron stared at her in confusion until the saw two shapes flying towards the window. In minutes, Calla stepped back from the window and Ren and Eleanor flew through the window. She pet them both behind the ears as they landed on the floor. They all continued walking towards the hospital wing with the two wolves.

"At least I can now visit Lena! And I thought it would be a good idea to bring Ren since he hasn't seen Lena since the attack." Calla said with a small smile on her face as they reached the hospital wing doors. They knocked on the door and Madam Pomfrey stuck her head out from inside. They told her that they had permission from Professor McGonagall to see Lena and Hermione and she reluctantly let them in.

They heard Madam Pomfrey complaining about how the petrified people couldn't even hear them so there was no point in visiting, and they knew she was right. But still, Ron, Calla and Harry sat down in the chairs next to Hermione and Lena's beds. Ren whimpered quietly as he approached Lena's bed and climbed onto it, curling up at Lena's feet and nuzzling affectionately at her legs.

"Hey, what's that?" Ron said pointing to something shiny on Lena's bedside table. Calla looked over and smiled.

"That's a bracelet. It's a gift for Lena." she said.

"From who?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Draco Malfoy." Calla answered simply, her gaze shifting back to the terrified look on her sister's face. Harry and Ron gave her surprised looks as they looked at the bracelet.

"And you know this how…?" They asked her.

Calla shrugged, "Because he left it for her the night she was paralyzed. I saw him standing by her bed, looking upset when I came to visit her that night." she said. Harry sighed as he stared at his two petrified friends.

"Do you think they saw the attacker?" Ron asked Harry and Calla. "I mean, if the attacker sneaked up on them, then no one will ever know who it was." he said.

Neither Harry, nor Calla answered him as Harry was staring at Hermione's clenched fist. He spotted a piece of paper crumpled up inside Hermione's hand and looked around to make sure Madam Pomfrey wasn't close by before taking it out. Calla and Ron noticed his movements and looked over at Harry curiously.

"What's that, Harry?" Ron asked him as Harry unfolded the paper. Harry straightened the paper out and started to read it, with Ron looking over his shoulder. Calla took one glance at the paper and knew exactly what it was.

"It's an article on a creature called a Basilisk." Calla stated plainly, looking at Harry and Ron. The boys stared at her in surprise but she just shrugged. "Lena showed it to me the morning before she got attacked. She found it somewhere and thought it might have been useful so she decided to show it to Hermione." Calla explained.

Harry sighed and started reading the article on the piece of paper. "It says here that spiders flee before the Basilisk…" he mumbles as realization hit him. "The Basilisk's method of killing is using its fangs and it also has a deadly stare. Anyone who looks into its eyes will die." He adds. Under the passage, Hermione and Lena had written one single word, 'Pipes'.

"Ron, Hermione and Lena were onto something." Harry said. "This is it, The monster inside the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk! It's a giant serpent. That's why I keep hearing its voice around the school, because I can understand Parseltongue!" Harry said looking at the others.

"But if looking into the Basilisk's eyes can kill somebody… Why hasn't anybody died yet?" Ron asked in confusion. Harry looked thoughtful for a minute before Calla joined the conversation.

"Because nobody ever did look it in the eye." Calla suggested.

Harry nodded his head in agreement. "Colin saw it through his camera. Basilisk burned up the film but only petrified Colin… Justin must have seen the Basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick. Nick got full blast, but he's a ghost so he couldn't die again. Hermione, Lena and the Ravenclaw Prefect," - "Penelope," Calla chimed. Harry nodded. - "had the mirror with them once Hermione and Lena realized what the monster was, they must have warned the first person they saw and the girl, Penelope, must have pulled out the mirror and seen that's how they got petrified." Harry explained.

Ron's jaw dropped in surprise. "And what about Mrs. Norris?" he asked.

Harry thought for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. "Mrs. Norris must have seen the Basilisk in the water. Remember? There was water on the floor, the night she was attacked." he said. "This also says that spiders flee before it. That's why all the spiders left the castle!" Harry said. "It all makes sense." he added.

"But how has the Basilisk been getting around the place?" Calla wondered. "I mean, someone would have seen a giant snake roaming around the castle." Calla said, causing Ron to nod in agreement.

"Hermione and Lena have answered that too." Harry said, looking back at the paper. He beckoned them over to him and pointed at the word written at the bottom of the paper.

"The pipes…" Ron mumbled in realization.

"It's been using the plumbing, then!" Calla said thoughtfully.

Ron then grabbed Calla and Harry's shoulders. "What if the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is inside a bathroom! It could be in-"

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom!" Harry finished Ron's thought for him. The three of them sat there for a second, smiling with excitement.

"Should we go to McGonagall?" Ron asked them

Harry nodded his head, "Yeah, let's go to the staff room. She should be there soon since it's nearly break time." Harry said as they all jumped out of their seats and headed for the door. Calla left Ren with Lena, seeing how he was still curled up and had fallen asleep at her feet. She ordered Eleanor to go and find Ethan and Evie as they left the hospital wing and Eleanor flew off to the nearest window.

The trio sprinted through the corridors as they headed for the staff room. They were almost at the staff room until they heard McGonagall's voice echoing through the school.

"All students must return to their house dormitories immediately. All teachers return to the staff room at once, please." her voice rang out.

Harry, Ron and Calla all exchanged looks before running into the staff room. They looked around frantically before Harry ran towards a closet full of the teacher's robes. "Quickly, in here!" he said as he opened the closet and they all squeezed into it. Harry closed the doors right as he heard the footsteps of all the teachers arriving to the room.

* * *

 **Well, here you have it! Sorry it was kind of late, school is starting soon and I was in the middle of some things... but here it is! This story is coming to an end soon and we are already coming up with ideas for a sequel so stay tuned!**

 **~Lena Lockhart**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The trio hid themselves inside the ugly old wardrobe, listening to the rumbling sounds of hundreds of people moving overhead, and the staff room door banging open. From between the musty folds of the cloaks, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them were looking puzzled, others downright scared. Calla started to bite her nails nervously. "Surely not…" she mumbled to herself, gaining looks from both Harry and Ron. She waved her hand dismissively. Professor McGonagall had entered the room.

"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself." Calla covered her mouth immediately, shaking her head. _No…_ She Kelted to the boys.

Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. _Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever."_

Professor Flitwick burst into tears. Calla felt the urge to wrap her arms around her Professor, but forced herself to stay inside the wardrobe, being somewhat held back by Harry.

"Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.

Ron slid silently down onto the wardrobe floor beside Harry. _I'm so sorry, Ron…_ Calla Kelted to him, sliding down next to him.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…"

The staffroom door banged open again. Calla stood back up and looked out with Harry. For one wild moment, Harry was sure it would be Dumbledore. But it was Lockhart, and he was beaming. Calla swore quietly and folded her arms over her chest.

"So sorry - dozed off - what have I missed?"

He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.

"Just the man," he said. Calla tilted her head in confusion. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last." Calla's shoulders shook with laughter, and Harry nudged her in the side, smiling slightly.

Lockhart blanched.

"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"I - well I -" sputtered Lockhart.

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick. Calla smiled.

"D-did I? I don't recall -"

"I certainly remember you saying that you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?" Calla admired every other professor that was gaining up on her uncle. They all knew that he was a fraud, unlike the media and the _Daily Prophet._

Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.

"I - I really never - you may have misunderstood-"

"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all by yourself. A free rein at last." Calla stared at this interaction, a wide grin on her face, but looked back at Ron, who was very pale and still sitting on the floor of the wardrobe, his head on his knees.

 _It'll be okay, Ron,_ she Kelted to him. He looked up at her, looking like he was about to throw up.

 _How do you know?_ he asked her silently, as she slid down beside him again.

She looked him. _We'll figure something out,_ she said, drawing her arm around his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Harry was still looking outside through the crack of the wardrobe. Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usually toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble.

"V-very well," he said. "I'll - I'll be in my office, getting - getting ready."

And he left the room.

"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got _him_ out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."

The teachers rose and left, one by one.

….

It was probably the worst day of their lives. Harry, Ron, Calla, Fred and George sat together in a corner of the Gryffindor common room unable to say anything to each other. Fred sat next to Calla with George right beside him, and occasionally glanced at her with a grim smile. Evie and Ethan sat silently near the fire, not saying anything to the others. Evie had Hercules curled up on her lap, and Ethan was absently moving his hand along Orion's back. Percy wasn't in the common room. He had gone to send an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then shut himself up in his dormitory.

No afternoon ever lasted as long as that one, nor had Gryffindor Tower ever been so crowded, yet so quiet. Near sunset, Fred and George went up to bed, taking Evie and Ethan with them. Calla hugged her siblings tightly, as well as the twins, but stayed with Harry and Ron. She knew that her siblings, Fred and George couldn't sustain in silence for very long periods of time.

"She knew something, guys," said Ron, speaking for the first time since they had entered the wardrobe in the staff room. "That's why she was taken. It wasn't some stupid thing about Percy at all. She'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That must be why she was -" Ron rubbed his eyes frantically - "I mean, she was a pure-blood. There can't be any other reason."

Calla stared at the sunset. The sun began to sink, blood-red, below the skyline. She turned her head slightly and saw Harry looking at it too. They both felt pain for Ron, and it was a terrible feeling, the worst they'd ever felt. If only there was something they could do. Anything.

"Hey," said Ron. "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not - you know -"

Harry and Calla looked at each other. They didn't know what to say. They couldn't see how Ginny could still be alive.

"D'you know what?" said Ron. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."

Calla looked at Harry. He shrugged. They couldn't think of anything else to do, and they all wanted to be doing something. The two agreed, Calla a little bit begrudgingly. The Gryffindors around them were so miserable, and felt so sorry for the Weasleys, that nobody tried to stop them as they got up, crossed the room, and left through the portrait hole.

Darkness was falling over the castle as they walked down to Lockhart's office. There seemed to be a lot of activity going on inside it. They could hear scraping, thumps, and hurried footsteps.

 _He's leaving,_ Calla Kelted, stopping abruptly in her tracks. Harry and Ron looked back at her, _I don't believe this. You'd think he'd have at least a little courtesy…_ Ron rolled his eyes and pushed her forward with them. Harry knocked and there was a sudden silence from inside. Then the door opened the tiniest crack and they saw one of Lockhart's eyes peering through it.

"Oh - Mr. Potter - Mr. Weasley -" he looked at Calla and made a barely audible noise of recognition - he opened the door a bit wider - "I'm rather busy at the moment - if you would be quick -"

"Professor, we've got some information for you," said Harry. "We think it'll help you."

"Er - well - it's not terribly -" The side of Lockhart's face that they could see looked very uncomfortable. He glanced at Calla again and sighed. "I mean - well - all right -"

He opened the door and they entered.

His office had been almost completely stripped. Calla had been right, and she huffed a heavy sigh of anger. Two large trunks stood open on the floor. Robes, jade-green, lilac, midnight blue, had been hastily folded into one of them; books were jumbled untidily into the other. The photographs that had covered the walls were now crammed into boxes on the desk.

"Are you going somewhere?" said Harry, trying to act nonchalant as he held Calla back from hitting Gilderoy across the face.

"Er, well, yes," said Lockhart, ripping a life-size poster of himself from the back of the door as he spoke and starting to roll it up. "Urgent call - unavoidable - got to go -"

"What about my sister?" said Ron jerkily.

"Well, as to that - most unfortunate -" said Lockhart, avoiding their eyes as he wrenched open a drawer and started emptying the contents into a bag. "No one regrets more than I -"

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" said Harry. Calla had released herself from his grip and composed herself, folding her arms over her chest, biting her tongue. "You can't go now! Not with all the Dark stuff going on here!"

"Well - I must say - when I took the job -" Lockhart muttered, now piling socks on top of his robes. "nothing in the job description - didn't expect -"

"So you just took the job without even thinking about the consequences?" Calla spat. Gilderoy looked over at his niece with a grim smile. "Typical," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"You mean you're _running away?"_ said Harry disbelievingly. "After all the stuff you did in your books -"

"Harry," Calla said, getting his attention, "Gilderoy only wrote the books." Harry tilted his head in confusion. "Do you honestly think this blond, white-teethed wannabe would actually do all those heroic things?" she questioned, pointing angrily at her uncle. Gilderoy straightened up and frowned at Harry. Calla dropped her arm and left it dangling at her side.

"My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think _I'd_ done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old American warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a harelip. I mean, come on -" At this point, Harry had to take Calla and lock her in a tight grip, his arm looped through his behind her. Gilderoy flinched.

"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" said Harry incredulously.

"Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, shaking his head impatiently, "it's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they manage to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog." He banged the lids of his trunks shut and locked them.

"Let's see," he said. "I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."

He pulled out his wand and turned to them.

"Awfully sorry," he said, gulping when he looked at Calla's furious face, "but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book -"

Calla took out her wand and Harry let go of her. Gilderoy had barely raised his, when she bellowed, " _Expelliarmus!"_

Her uncle was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air, Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window. Calla went to her uncle before Harry could get to her and placed her foot onto the man's stomach, temporarily disabling him from doing anything. He looked up at her helplessly.

"I am ashamed," Calla said through gritted teeth, "That you are related to me and my siblings, and especially my father." Harry and Ron looked nervously at each other, seeing the anger in Calla's eyes. She looked at them, her eyes a deep crimson, and they knew she was furious.

"Shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one," said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart's trunk aside. Lockhart looks up at him, feeble. Calla still had her wand pointed at him, threatening to strike if she had to.

"What d'you want me to do?" said Lockhart weakly. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."

"You're in luck," said Harry, taking Calla's hand and easing her so that she stepped off of her uncle. "We think _we_ know where it is. _And_ what's inside it. Let's go." They marched Lockhart out of his office and down the nearest stairs, along the dark corridor where the messages shone on the wall, to the door of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

They sent Lockhart in first. Harry was pleased to see that he was shaking. Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet.

"Hi Myrtle," Calla said, her voice somehow normal through her anger.

"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Harry. "What do you want this time?"

"To ask you how you died," said Harry.

Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had been asked such a flattering question. To Harry's surprise, Calla smiled when she looked at the ghost being happy for once.

"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish. "It happened right here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a _boy_ speaking. So, I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then -" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I _died."_

"How?" said Harry.

"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away…" she looked dreamily at Harry. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."

"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Harry.

"Somewhere there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet. Harry, Ron and Calla hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face.

It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it. Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.

"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.

"Harry," said Ron. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."

"But -" Harry thought hard. The only times he'd ever managed to speak Parseltongue were when he'd been faced with a real snake. He stared hard at the tiny engraving, trying to imagine it was real.

Calla's heart pounded, anger still shaking her body. She waited for Harry to say something.

"Open up," Harry said.

He looked at the other two. They shook their heads.

"English," said Ron.

Harry looked back at the snake, willing himself to believe it was alive. If he moved his head, the candlelight made it look as though it were moving.

"Open up," he said. Calla's gasp was enough for Harry to know that he had spoken in Parseltongue.

The words weren't what he heard; a strange hissing had escaped him, and at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into. Harry heard Ron gasp this time and looked behind him. Calla was shaking with fear. One of her eyes was green, the other gold, showing two emotions. She was both scared and surprised. When he said that he was going to go down there, and Ron had agreed with him, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she croaked. "I can't." She pulled them both into a tight hug, making Ron grunt. _I wish I was as brave as you,_ Calla Kelted to them, tears threatening to drip, _But that's the one thing that kept me from being in Gryffindor._ She let go of them and they nodded in understanding. She had made up her mind that she would stay with them until they went into the Chamber with Gilderoy, but after that she would head straight for the Gryffindor common room.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," said Lockhart, with a shadow of his old smile. "I'll just -" He put his hand on the door knob, but Ron and Harry both pointed their wands at him.

"You're not going anywhere," Calla said, her voice dripping with anger.

"You can go first," Ron snarled.

White-faced and wandless, Lockhart approached the opening.

"What good will it do?" he said, his voice feeble. Harry jabbed him in the back with his hand. Lockhart slid his legs into the pipe.

"I really don't think-" he started to say, but Ron gave him a push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly, glancing back at Calla only for a moment, seeing if she would change her mind. She shook her head, her eyes flashing green.

 _Good luck, Harry,_ she Kelted to him as he went down the pipe. _I hope you defeat the monster._

Ron went in after Harry, but before he could go, Calla hugged him again. _Keep Harry as safe as you can. Don't die down there._ She Kelted to him. He smiled weakly at her and slid down the giant pipe.

"Aren't you going?" Myrtle said, tilting her head at Calla.

"This isn't my mission," Calla replied to the ghost. "It's theirs." She tried her best to walk normally out of the bathroom. But as soon as she got to the corridor, she started to run.

….

Calla ran through the corridors of Hogwarts, her heart thumping in her chest. She made it through the twists and turns that led to Gryffindor Tower, and climbed through the portrait hole.

When she arrived, a few of the students turned their heads, and she was given pity smiles as she walked past. She sighed. _Until Lena gets back, I will always be the girl that has a petrified sister._ She thought to herself, annoyance spreading through her. She walked up the stairs to where Fred and George's dorm was, and opened the door, finding the twins mulling over yet another crazy invention of theirs. Evie and Ethan were experimenting with Wizard's Chess, both engulfed with interest. The twins looked up when they heard the door shut.

"What's up?" Fred said, his eyebrows folding inwards. She looked like she wanted to cry, and she was breathing heavily as she walked over to sit near the window, avoiding their eyes. She stared out the window at the sky silently, and Fred saw her lip trembling. "Calla?" he said, standing up and placing the invention on the desk. George followed him. Evie and Ethan stopped playing the chess game and looked at each other.

Fred tried turning Calla toward them. She was very resistant. She was acting like a dead weight. "Calla," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. He laid both of his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. She looked at Fred, then at George, then back again. Fred kept his hands on her shoulders with a light grip.

"What's wrong?" George questioned, seeing the tears brimming in Calla's eyes. One trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly.

"Nothing," she said, walking to the other side of the dorm. Evie and Ethan stared at their older sister. They saw the twins exchange a look between each other. Evie got up and walked to Calla, resting a hand on her sister's shoulder when she got close enough. Calla stiffened slightly, but turned towards Evie and wrapped her arms around her little sister.

 _What's up, Cal?_ Evie Kelted to Calla, hugging her sister tightly.

 _Harry… Ron… Gilderoy…_ Calla said quietly back. _Chamber of Secrets…_

 _No… They didn't…_ said Evie, pulling away from her sister. She had a look of terror on her face.

"What, what's going on?" Fred, George and Ethan said together. Evie looked at them with a glare, and they shut up. She then looked at her sister.

 _Can you tell them or should I?_ Evie Kelted to Calla.

 _Together?_ Calla said, shrugging her shoulders. Evie nodded with a weak smile.

"Harry, Ron and Calla found out where the Chamber is," Evie said simply, sitting Calla down on George's bed. The trio of boys looked at each other with surprised looks.

"Really?" Fred said.

"How?" George inquired, folding his arms over his chest.

"Where is it?" Ethan chimed.

Again, they were hushed by Evie. Calla answered their questions.

"Yes," she exhaled, looking at Fred. "It's a long story about how we found out," she explained, looking at George. And finally, she looked at her baby brother. "And it's in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom." She got more confused looks after that last statement. She breathed, looking at Evie, who had taken a seat next to her.

"Well…" Fred said, thinking through what he was about to say. "How did you find out?" he said finally, mimicking George by folding his arms over his chest. He was confused as to why she hadn't told them when she first found out, but he didn't press on _that_ particular subject.

"Like I said, it's a long story…" Calla said, looking at him.

"Bring it," Fred and George said together, causing her to smile slightly.

Calla explained everything, almost forgetting to breathe as she did so. She explained from the moment they had found out about the Chamber itself from Professor Binns, to when Lena had received an article on the Basilisk from Draco Malfoy, and to the moment they were in now. Harry was in the Chamber, down the giant ass pipe that led to some unforsaken creature that lived within the castle. Everyone looked at her, awestruck. The tears had stopped falling when she had finished telling her story.

Ethan sat down on Calla's other side, sliding his arm around her shoulders brotherly. She leaned into him, feeling his other arm slide around her, so that he was hugging her. He held her for a few moments, comforting her. She hated that Fred and George were seeing her cry like this. It was embarrassing.

"Why didn't you stay with Harry and Ron?" Fred asked lightly. Calla looked up at him. He saw her tear-streaked cheeks, and a funny feeling spread through him. He couldn't explain it. But he suddenly felt guilty for speaking those words.

"I wasn't ready," she sighed, more tears starting to fall. "I wasn't ready to watch my best friends on a death mission. I didn't want to see them die if it failed; I've already felt what it would be like to lose my sister…" her voice trailed off to the distance. "I wasn't placed into Gryffindor for a reason, Fred," she said, looking up at him once more. "I'm not brave."

Fred and George looked at each other grimly.

"What can we do?" they questioned, replacing Evie and Ethan on the edge of the bed.

"I don't think there's anything we can do…" Calla said hesitantly, clasping her hands together in her lap. "But I do believe that Harry and Ron can defeat the monster somehow."

….

As this emotional moment was happening, Harry and Ron had successfully made it into the Chamber. Ron had knocked Lockhart unconscious after he used the broken wand and _Obliviated_ his memory. Harry left Ron to follow the giant snake skin path that led to a solid wall on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.

He approached it, his throat very dry. There was no need to pretend these stone snakes were real, their eyes looked strangely alive. He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker.

" _Open,"_ said Harry, in a low, faint hiss. The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.

The Heir of Slytherin

" _Ginny!"_ Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. "Ginny - don't be dead - please don't be dead -" He flung his wand aside, grabbed GInny's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. But then she must be -

Harry begged her to wake up. He shook her, but her head merely wobbled from side to side.

"She won't wake," said a soft voice.

Harry jumped and spun around on his knees.

It was Tom Riddle, from the diary.

"Tom - _Tom Riddle?"_ questioned Harry.

Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face. Harry questioned him as to why Ginny wouldn't wake.

"She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just."

"Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly.

"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

Harry begged Tom to help him get Ginny out of the Chamber. He explained about the Basilisk, how he was afraid it would come along at any moment. Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again.

But his wand was gone.

He looked up. Riddle was still watching him - twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers.

Harry stretched his hand out for the wand, "Thanks," he said.

A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly.

"How did Ginny get like this?" Harry asked slowly after a while.

"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger." He went on to explain about the diary, his diary, and the fact that Ginny had been vulnerable enough to reveal the teasings of her older brothers, to reveal her feelings for Harry Potter. Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face as he spoke. There was an almost hungry look in them.

Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck. Tom explained that he was always able to charm the people that he needed. And when Ginny poured out her soul to the diary, he grew stronger with every entry. He grew powerful, far more powerful than Ginny. Powerful enough to start feeding her a few of his own secrets, to start pouring a little of his soul back into her. He also explained that he was rather pleased to see when Harry found the diary and started writing in it. That he wanted to meet Harry.

"And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry. Anger was coursing through him, and it was an effort to keep his voice steady.

"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole _fascinating_ history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust -"

"Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice now shaking. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but -"

Riddle laughed his high laugh again.

He explained that Hagrid's record was against him. Hagrid had always had a liking for large, magical creatures, that it was easy to put his face to the unnamed Heir. Riddle had had an impeccable reputation at Hogwarts, when he was there, school prefect, model student… Versus Hagrid's reputation of having an odd liking for creatures like werewolf cubs. He got into trouble every week.

(Ron's Point of View) Ron was still taking rocks so that Harry would be able to get back to him after he got Ginny out of the Chamber.

 _Ron?_ a voice said at the back of his conscience.

 _Calla?_ he sent back. He had gotten used to Kelting with Lena and Calla over the course of their first year together.

 _How's it going down there?_ Calla asked, her voice sounding relieved.

 _It's a big Chamber. The dead skin of a giant snake._ he shuddered. _Disgusting._

He heard a slight laugh on Calla's end. _How's Harry?_ she questioned.

 _I don't know._ said Ron. _He's on a different side of the Chamber. I'm making sure he gets back to me so we leave this bloody place when he gets Ginny._

 _Alright. Good._ Calla said hesitantly. _Just thought I'd check in._

 _How are you doing, Calla?_ Ron asked.

 _That's not important._ Calla said, and Ron could tell that she was smiling as she Kelted to him. _What's important is that you and Harry get Ginny out of that Chamber._

And with that, Ron went back to work in silence, with Lockhart still unconscious.

(Calla's Point of View) Calla paced Fred and George's dormitory for the remainder of the evening. Fred and George watched her in silence. Ethan had checked out _Quidditch Through the Ages_ from the library the other day and was flipping through its slightly wrinkled pages, sitting under the fort with Orion lying beside him. Evie was dangling a stuffed mouse in front of Hercules, causing the tabby cat to sit on his hind legs and try to catch it with his paws. Calla had just Kelted to Ron, getting information on what was going on in the Chamber of Secrets. She had started to play with the chain of the necklace Fred had given her.

She paced, thinking of every outcome that could possibly arise with Harry and Ron in the Chamber. Fred watched her intently, a slight smile on his lips. She was very thoughtful these days, he thought. With what happened to Lena and Hermione, to this, she hadn't exactly had a moment of peace.

"What if they don't make it out?" Calla said, her voice shaking as she abruptly turned towards them. George shook his head.

"They'll make it out," he said simply. Calla looked at Fred, who nodded once. She sighed and continued to pace, her fingers tracing the lily pendant absently. She missed the Ravenclaw common room, she missed her dorm. But it wouldn't feel right going there, seeing all of Lena's things, slightly cold from not being used for a long period of time. She wiped away a small tear that started to roll down her cheek. She couldn't think about that right now. What mattered most to her was the safety of Harry and Ron. The fact that she had left them there alone was weighing down on her shoulders like a boulder sitting on the edge of a cliff. She tried to shake the feeling off as she paced, but it was impossible to.

….

"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present and future, Harry Potter…" He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

Harry's brain seemed to have jammed. He stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others… At last he forced himself to speak.

You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred.

"Not what?" snapped Riddle.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days -"

The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

(Calla's Point of View) Calla suddenly started to hear Harry's voice echo in the depths of her mind. But then she heard another man's voice. Harry was in the Chamber with someone other than Ron. She listened to the conversation. She unconsciously sat down next to Fred, to which he gave her a surprised look. He and George had started to mull over the invention again.

 _Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!_ the other man's voice said. Calla blinked, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. Maybe because she had been thinking about Harry and Ron so much, her mind had gone a little over-wired and focused so much on where they were… that now she was able to hear what was going on around him.

 _He's not as gone as you might think!_ Harry retorted. Calla smiled, hearing the confidence in Harry's voice. Music sounded from somewhere in the depths of the Chamber, echoing through the place. Calla closed her eyes, listening to the eerie sound. She heard the sound of flames.

 _That's a phoenix…_ The other voice said hesitantly.

 _Fawkes?_ Harry breathed. He doesn't realize that Calla is listening to the entire thing.

 _And that -_ the other voice started - _that's the old school Sorting Hat -_ at this point a vision started to morph its way into Calla's head; the Sorting Hat, frayed and dirty, lay motionless at Harry's feet. The other man laughed, echoing around the Chamber, and Calla shuddered. Fred looked at her as if she was insane.

"Is something wrong?" Fred asked Calla, waving his hand in front of her face. She blinked, narrowing her eyes at him. "What?" he said obliviously. She sighed and shook her head, standing up to start pacing around the room again, both seeing, and hearing all that Harry was encountering.

 _To business, Harry,_ Calla had thought about who it could be, and all lines led to Riddle, when everything that had happened previously, was based around Harry finding the forsaken diary of T.M. Riddle. _Twice - in your past, in my future - we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk,_ Riddle said softly, _the longer you stay alive._ Calla stopped in her tracks, her heart suddenly pulsating like crazy. She could feel Harry thinking, deciding carefully about what he wanted to say to Riddle.

"Calla?" Evie and Ethan chimed to their older sister, clearly worried about the state she was in. "Is everything all right?" Evie questioned. Calla sighed heavily and waved her hand dismissively, trying to pay attention to the matter at hand.

Harry explained to Riddle that no one truly understood why he lost his powers when he, Riddle attacked Harry. He said that the reason why Riddle couldn't kill him was because of his common, Muggle-born mother. She stopped Riddle from killing Harry. Harry had seen the real Voldemort. The year previous. Voldemort had been at his weakest, a wreck, barely alive. He's in hiding. Harry went on to insult Voldemort, and Calla saw the man's face crinkle in disgust. He forced it into an awful smile.

" _So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful counter-charm. I can see now… there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even_ look _something alike… but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know._ Calla's heart thumped in her chest. She continued to pace around the room, biting her fingernails nervously. Harry just stood there, waiting for something. Probably waiting for Tom to raise his wand and attack. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again.

Calla watched the situation from her third eye. She saw Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. He opened his mouth and hissed - Calla didn't understand him, but she assumed Harry did. It sounded like Parseltongue.

Harry moved his gaze up in order to look at the statue. Slytherin's gigantic face was moving. Calla, again, stopped in her tracks, right in front of George, who poked her in the side to see if she would move. She rolled her eyes and continued to see Slytherin's mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. Something was slithering up from its depths. Calla's jaw dropped and she sat down next to George, who tilted his head at her. She ignored him as she heard the sound of Harry's voice saying " _Don't leave me!"_ to Fawkes, who was flying away. Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Calla felt what Harry felt and shuddered.

There it was. The king of serpents. Again, Calla heard Riddle hiss something at the snake, but didn't understand. But it sounded like a command. Calla decided to walk around George's bed and sit against the headboard, her knees curled up against her as she watched it all happen. From the moment Harry was smashed against a wall, and when he had finally opened his eyes and got a good look at the snake. Calla's eyes widened when she saw it and started rocking back and forth unconsciously.

The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As Harry trembled, so did Calla. She followed Harry's gaze and saw Fawkes soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers.

Calla continued to watch as Fawkes dived, and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. Fawkes fought the serpent, and saw that the snake's bulbous yellow eyes had been punctured by the phoenix, blood streaming to the floor. Riddle shouted at the serpent in Parseltongue. Harry muttered for help and Calla closed her eyes in guilt and felt tear trickle down her cheek, and wiped it away quickly.

As the scene continued, the basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Something hard and heavy had dropped onto Harry's head when he placed that hat on his head. It was a sword. A gleaming silver sword. Calla watched the scene unravel. Harry, dodging the basilisk and hit the Chamber wall, being nicked by the snake's forked tongue. The next time the snake tried to attack him, however, he used the sword and lodged it into the roof of the serpent's mouth. As Harry felt pain, Calla felt pain. She winced and shuddered. The basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor.

There was a moment of silence and then Fawkes swooped down behind Harry. The phoenix was able to heal Harry's elbow with its tears. Riddle threatened the bird to get away, and Fawkes took flight again at the sound of something similar to a gunshot.

" _Phoenix tears.._ said Riddle quietly, startling Calla slightly. He stared at Harry's arm. _Of course… healing powers… I forgot... But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter… you and me…_ Calla shook her head. Evie looked up at her and tilted her head, getting a wave of the hand as a response.

In a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap - _the diary._ Calla was about to Kelt to Harry to use the fang of the basilisk, but he was too quick for her. He plunged the fang straight into the heart of the book. There was a long and dreadful, piercing scream. As the ink spurted out the diary in torrents, Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then -

He was gone. Calla closed her eyes. Her vision was skewed when she opened them again. It took a minute to get adjusted to the twins' dormitory. Her heart was still pounding, and she still sat up against George's headboard with her knees curled up towards her. She exhaled as her heart slowed, and she scanned the room around her. The twins had gone back to the invention, she reckoned due to the fact that she just ignored them through the entire scene. Evie and Ethan had continued on with their game of Wizard's Chess, Ethan exclaiming whenever Evie ended up smashing one of his pieces. Calla smiled to herself.

 _Harry,_ Calla Kelted.

 _Yes?_ Harry replied in her head.

 _Well done,_ she stated simply.

 _What?_ Harry questioned. She heard a swooshing sound that echoed in the depths of her mind. She heard her uncle Gilderoy screaming something along the lines of " _Amazing! This is just like magic!"_

 _I'll explain later. Just get yourselves out of the Chamber._ Calla said with a grin.

 _Fawkes is doing that for us._ Said Harry happily.

 _You'll have to explain that later,_ Calla said, deciding not to tell him about what she had seen.

Calla let a giggle escape her lips. George looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. She started to laugh. Fred looked back at her as well.

"Harry's alive," Calla said, the grin never escaping her lips. Fred and George glanced at each other. "Ron and Ginny, too," she added, sitting up, letting her legs dangle on the side of the bed. Evie and Ethan looked at each other, then at Calla, who nodded at them with a smile.

"Brilliant," said George, as Fred set the invention down on the desk.

"How do you know this, exactly?" Fred questioned, stretching out on his own bed and crossing one arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Calla could see the smile on his face.

"How do you get the stuff you need to make your pranks?" Calla countered, standing next to Fred's bed, looking down at him. He chuckled and she gave him an innocent smile.

* * *

 *****Hello again! We do so hope that you are enjoying the series! Just one thing to tell you. We have both started school again, so our chapters from now on will be scattered. We'll try to get them done as soon as we can, but we make no promises. Hope you understand :)**

Yours, ever-so truly,

Miss Calla Lockhart


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Harry, Ron and Ginny followed Fawkes through the long, dark corridors. A few minutes later, they found themselves standing in front of Professor McGonagall's office. Harry knocked on the office door before pushing it open. He, Ron and Ginny then stood in the doorway, covered in slime, dirt and -in Harry's case- blood.

Suddenly, a scream made them all jump, "Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang through the office as she sprang up from her seat next to the fire. She had heavy tears falling down her face as she ran over towards Ginny with Mr. Weasley following right behind her and seconds later, they had both flung their arms around their daughter.

Behind the Weasleys, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stood by the fire, Dumbledore was beaming at them while McGonagall stared at them with the a look of shock on her face. Fawkes had flown in and was now sitting on Dumbledore's shoulder. Before Harry knew what was happening, Mrs. Weasley had engulfed both him and Ron into a tight embrace.

"You did it! You saved her! But how did you save her?" Mrs. Weasley said as she continued to hug them.

"Yes, that is something we would all like to know." Professor McGonagall chimed in quietly.

As Mrs Weasley finally let go of Harry and Ron, Harry walked over to the desk and placed the Sorting Hat and the Sword of Gryffindor on top of it, along with the remains of Tom Riddle's diary, Then, he turned to the others and told the the entire story. He told them everything from hearing the disembodied voice through the halls, how Hermione and Lena had figured out that he was hearing the voice of the Basilisk through the pipes, about him, Ron and Calla going into the Forest to talk to Aragog who had told them about where the last victim had died, how they had guessed it was Moaning Myrtle who had been the victim, and finally, about the Chamber of Secrets being in her bathroom. By the time he had finished telling the story, silence rang out through the room, soon broken by McGonagall.

"Well, you have broken several schools rules but you actually managed to find the Chamber of Secrets. But how in Merlin's name did you all get out of there alive?" she asked them. Harry took a deep breath and began his explanation about how Fawkes arrived in time to help Harry, about how the Sword came from inside the Sorting Hat. Then, he hesitated and glanced desperately at Dumbledore when it came time to tell the others about the diary and Ginny. Dumbledore smiled as he caught Harry's look.

"What _I_ would like to know," Dumbledore said, much to Harry's relief, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to get control of Ginny when my sources say that he is currently hiding in Albania." he said.

"Wh-what?" Mr. Weasley said in shock. "You-Know-Who was controlling Ginny? But Ginny isn't - she hasn't been…- has she?" he said, not being able to say the words.

"It was because of his diary." Harry explained. "Tom Riddle wrote it when was sixteen." he added.

Dumbledore took the diary into his own hands and examined it, "Well, he was the most brilliant student of his time at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said, making the Weasleys all look at him in surprise. "Not many people are aware that Lord Voldemort was actually known as Lord Voldemort. I was one of the teachers at Hogwarts that taught him fifty years ago. Once he had left Hogwarts, he completely disappeared, traveling around the world. He sank so deep into the Dark Arts that he became obsessed with them, He went through so many dangerous, magical transformations that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was not even recognisable. Nobody could have ever connected the clever and handsome boy from Hogwarts who used to be Head Boy, to Lord Voldemort." he said.

"B-but, what's Ginny got to do with him?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I h-hs his diary." Ginny said, sobbing. "I've been writing in his diary all year, a-and he's been writing back." she added.

"Ginny!" Mr. Weasley said, shocked, "What do I always say? Never trust anything that can think for itself, and you have no idea where it's brain is! You should have shown the diary to me or your mother because something like that s clearly full of Dark Magic." he said.

"I didn't know." Ginny cried. "I found it in one of the books that Mum got me. I thought somebody just left it there and forgot." she explained through sobs.

"I think that Miss Weasley should be taken to the Hospital Wing, immediately." Dumbledore interrupted, "This has all been a terrible experience for her. I can say that there will be no punishments, as people much older and wiser than her have been enchanted by Lord Voldemort. What she really needs now, is rest and a steaming mug of hot chocolate." He said as he walked across the room and opened the door. "I believe that Madam Pomfrey is still awake and giving the Mandrake juice to all the Basilisk's victims, I would say that they might be waking up soon." he added.

"So, Hermione is going to be okay?" Ron asked happily, "And Lena too?" he added as a second thought.

Dumbledore nodded his head "From what I know, there was no sign of lasting damage to any of the victims." he said. As these words left his mouth, Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley led Ginny out of the room and headed towards the hospital wing, both of them looking exhausted and shocked.

Once they had left, Dumbledore turned around and faced Professor McGonagall, "Minerva, I think all that has happened today is deserving of a good feast. May I ask you to go and notify the kitchens?" he said to her.

"Of course." she said as she walked swiftly towards the door. "I feel you will be able to deal with Potter and Weasley alone." she said as she strode out of the room. Dumbledore noded as she walked out and Harry and Ron stared at him cautiously, wondering what was going to happen next.

"I do recall mentioning to you that if you broke any more school rules, I would have no other choice but to expel you." Dumbledore said turning towards them. Ron's face turned pale in horror as his jaw dropped. "Which proves that even the best are sometimes wrong," he continued, a smile making its way onto his features. "Both of you will receive Special Awards for Services to the School and I believe that two hundred points each for Gryffindor." he said. Ron flushed deeply, turning pink as his jaw snapped shut in surprise.

At this moment, Gilderoy Lockhart walked into the room, still smiling happily. Dumbledore seemed to notice his odd behavior and questioned him on why he was being so silent about his own adventure down in the Chamber. Ron then explained to Dumbledore about Lockhart trying to cast the memory charm in the Chamber and it backfiring due to Ron's broken wand and took away Lockhart's memory. Dumbledore nodded in understanding and asked Ron to take Lockhart to the Hospital Wing and that he would like to talk to Harry a bit more. Ron nodded hesitantly then led Lockhart out of the office, shooting Harry a curious look on his way out the door.

Once the door had closed and Ron and Lockhart were out of the room, Dumbledore thanked Harry, shocking him. Dumbledore told about why Fawkes had been called to Harry in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry worded his concern about how Tom Riddle said they were very alike and him and Dumbledore talked about Lord Voldemort and how he had placed a part of his soul into Harry the night he had tried to kill him. Dumbledore then mentioned to Harry that only a true Gryffindor could have pulled the sword out of the Sorting Hat because it used to belong to Godric Gryffindor himself when Harry told him how the Hat had only put him in Gryffindor because he asked it to.

"You look quite tired, Harry, I think you should go down to the feast and then head straight to bed. I need to write to Azkaban now, because we do need our gamekeeper back. I will also need to write an advertisement for the Daily Prophet for we seem to be in the need of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher considering what has happened to professor Lockhart." Dumbledore said finally, taking a piece of parchment out from one of Professor McGonagall's desk drawers. Harry nodded his head silently and crossed the room, walking to the door. Just as he was about to reach and open the door, it suddenly swung open, hitting the wall and making Harry jump back in surprise.

Harry had jumped to the side and stared at the doorway in surprise. There stood an enraged Lucius Malfoy with Dobby standing behind him. Dumbledore greeted Lucius Malfoy politely but Mr. Malfoy wasn't in the mood for beating around the bush. He marched straight past Harry, nearly pushing him over as he did so. "So, you have returned against the direct orders of the governors of Hogwarts I see. We have all suspended you, but you have still come back," he said, fury evident in his voice.

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head, "You see, Lucius, the other eleven governors all contacted me today. They told me that they had heard about how Arthur Weasley's daughter had been taken into the Chamber and they all seemed to think that I was the best person for handling the situation. They said that they wanted me back immediately. They all told me very unusual tales as well, they told me that you had threatened to curse their families unless they agreed to suspend me." he said.

"So, have you caught the culprit yet? Have the attacks stopped?" Lucius asked with a hateful sneer on his face.

"Yes we have." Dumbledore said, "It happens to be the same person as the last time this happened. Except this time the person worked through a diary in order to control another student." Dumbledore explained. He then held up the diary in question and watched Lucius' actions closely while Harry watched Dobby. The house elf stared intently back at Harry, occasionally pointing at the diary, then at Lucius before hitting himself.

"I see…" Lucius said slowly while sneering at Dumbledore.

"The plan was quite clever. Of course, if it wasn't for Harry, and his friend Ron hadn't discovered the diary, then, Ginny Weasley would have taken the blame for the entire thing And nobody would have ever been able to prove that she was forced to do everything," he said, still staring suspiciously at Lucius as Lucius sent Harry a sharp glare. Dumbledore then went on to say how it would have affected Arthur and the rest of the Weasleys if everyone had found out that their only daughter was the one that was attacking the Muggleborns in the school. Lucius seemed to be getting more stiff and his expression getting more blank as Dumbledore talked on.

That is when Harry finally understood what Dobby was trying to say by the pointing. Harry stepped up and said that Lucius was the one that slipped the diary into Ginny's book when he was examining it at Flourish and Blotts. When Lucius snapped at him to prove it, Dumbledore stepped in and said how they couldn't exactly prove anything yet, Arthur would be sure to trace all the evidence back to Lucius in order to prove his daughter innocent. Harry saw the fury in Lucius's movements as Lucius snapped at Dobby, telling him that they were now leaving. When Dobby reached the door, where his master stood, Lucius angrily kicked the house elf down the corridor. Just as Lucius and Dobby had made around the corner, Harry had an idea and grabbed Tom Riddle's diary from Dumbledore's desk. He asked Dumbledore if he could give the diary back to Lucius, to which Dumbledore agreed calmly, and ran out of the office instantly, sprinting to catch up with Lucius Malfoy.

Right before he reached the other side of the corner, Harry took off one of his shoes and pulled the dirty, mud covered sock off his foot, then replaced his shoes on his foot and ran faster to catch up with them as he stuffed the sock inside the diary. "Mr Malfoy." Harry called out as he finally caught up to them. "You forgot this." he said as he shoved the diary and sock into Lucius' hands.

Lucius sneered at Harry and through the book and sock to the side. "You will meet an end just like your parents one of these days, Potter." he said and he turned around, "Come Dobby." he said as he started to walk away, but Dobby didn't follow behind him. "Dobby." Lucius said fiercely as he turned around, only to find a stunned Dobby, holding the sock in his hand.

"Master has given Dobby a sock... Master had presented Dobby with clothes…" Dobby said happily, "Dobby is free!" he said.

Lucius stared angrily at Dobby for a moment before turning to Harry and walking towards him. "You've lost me my servant!" he said as he lunged at Harry but Dobby jumped in front of Harry at the last moment.

"You shall not hurt Harry Potter!" Dobby shouted as he raised his hand. Lucius suddenly flew backwards with a loud bang. As Lucius got back up and started walking towards Harry again, Dobby raised his hand threateningly, then with one final threat, Lucius had no choice but to shoot one final hatred filled glare at Harry and walked away.

"Harry Potter has set Dobby free!" the elf said joyfully. "Dobby knew Harry Potter is greater than most!" he said, looking up at Harry.

Harry smiled back at the little elf. "It was the least I could do Dobby. Just do me favor, never try to save my life again." Harry said, chuckling at Dobby, who nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course Harry Potter." Dobby said happily.

"Well, I'd better go now." Harry said, "There is a feast in the Great Hall and my friends, Hermione and Lena, should be awake by now." he said.

Dobby nodded and suddenly hugged Harry around the middle, "Farewell, Harry Potter." he said once he let go and disappeared with a loud crack, leaving Harry to walk to the Great Hall alone.

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Calla, Evie, Ethan and the Weasley twins all walked into the Great Hall, still in their Pajamas, and their eyes lit up. They had never seen a feast quite like this before. Everyone was clad in their pajamas, happily talking and laughing together as the plates magically refilled themselves with more and more food.

The three Lockhart siblings walked over to where they could see Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean standing while Fred and George split away from them and headed towards Lee. Harry and the others greeted them with cheerful smiles as the three siblings joined their group.

"You two actually pulled it off! I'm glad you guys are okay!" Calla said happily, pulling Harry and Ron into a hug.

Ron rolled his eyes and smiled as Calla let go of them, "'Course we're okay! Have some faith in us, Calla." he said to her jokingly, making everyone laugh. Calla nudged him playfully and giggled.

They all continued talking near the Gryffindor table as the feast continued, it seemed like the feast would last all night. Hot chocolate was served to every student throughout the night with the empty cups constantly refilling themselves. Suddenly, Neville's eyes shifted over to the door of the Great Hall and his smile grew even wider. "Hey, guys!" he said to the others, "Look over there!" he said happily, making everyone's attention turn towards the door.

At the door stood Lena and Hermione, slowly walking into the Great Hall while having a friendly conversation with Sir Nicholas. Harry and Ron smiled brightly as Hermione noticed them and started to run over to them yelling "You did it! You solved it!" as she hugged them. Calla, Evie and Ethan stood frozen in place as they saw Lena chuckle and slowly follow after Hermione after saying a goodbye to Sir Nicholas.

"LENA!" Calla, Ethan and Evie suddenly yelled as she drew closer and they all broke into a run, making the others jump. Many heads turned towards the Lockhart siblings as Lena also broke into a run, a huge smile plastered on her face as she ran towards her siblings with her arms outstretched. Ethan, being the fastest of the siblings, reached Lena first and immediately jumped into her open arms, burying his face in her shoulder. Calla and Evie also joined into the hug, although they didn't all slow down in time and the four siblings promptly fell to the floor, still clutched in each other's arms and laughing.

Lena, Calla and Evie suddenly felt Ethan's shoulders start to shake a bit as he kept his face buried in Lena's shoulder. "Ethan? What's wrong?" Lena asked him worriedly, putting her hands on his shoulders. They all stood up, but Ethan still refused to let go of Lena and she started feeling his tears on her large t-shirt she usually wore to sleep. Lena looked over questioningly to Calla, whom had a small smile on her face as she looked at Ethan. _Uh… Is everything okay? Why is he so upset?_ Lena asked worriedly in Calla's mind.

Calla's gaze softened as she met Lena's gaze before looking back down at Ethan, who was now clutching onto Lena's shirt. _After you got petrified, Ethan tried to stay strong for Evie… and me… So, he didn't exactly let out his emotions since he was trying to be strong for the rest of us,_ she replied causing Lena to nod and smile down at her younger brother. Calla and Evie then let go of Lena so that she could comfort Ethan.

A warm and calming feeling spread through Ethan as Lena's arms wrapped around him. "It's alright baby bro, everyone's fine now." Lena whispered to him softly. Ethan smiled softly and let go of his older sister, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"It's great to have you back, L," he said quietly, smiling at his sister. Lena nodded her head and smiled back at him. "Come on you guys, let's go join the others." he said to his sister, they all nodded while smiling and they all headed back to their friends.

"It's great to have you both back." Harry said as he gave Lena a side hug.

Hermione nodded her head and smiled, "I can't believe you guys solved it and got rid of the awful beast!" Hermione said as Lena and Ron gave each other a side hug.

"We couldn't have done it without the two of you, though." Ron said, beaming at Hermione. Ren and Eleanor then ran through the door, barking happily with Orion and Hercules on their backs. They headed straight over to where Lena, Calla and the others stood and Calla gave Lena a questioning look.

"How did Ren end up with Eleanor and the others? I left him in the Hospital Wing with you." Calla asked her sister, who just chuckled.

"Well, all of us went back to our dorms before coming here so we could change into our pajamas so I decided to bring them all along." She explained as she bent down to pet Ren behind the ear. As she did so, Calla saw something glinting in the light on Lena's wrist and giggled lightly.

 _I see you found the bracelet he left for you._ Calla said in Lena's mind, causing a rosiness to dust across Lena's cheeks.

 _Yeah, I did. Honestly didn't think he cared enough to come and visit me, but I'm glad he did._ Lena replied with a small smile on her face.

Calla rolled her eyes, _Well he obviously does care for you, even if it's only slightly, because when I came to see you the night of the attack, he was standing by your bed and looked pretty upset._ she said. Lena's cheeks darkened and she looked down at Ren so nobody else could see.

 _Uh… Well… Er, that's s-sweet of him._ she said back, sounding slightly flustered. Calla chuckled as she bent down next to Lena and began to pet Eleanor.

"I can never understand how you can get this flustered and yet you still find the courage to hit him in front of the entire Slytherin and Gryffindor teams." she whispered to Lena. Lena huffed in response but their conversation was soon interrupted by Hagrid walking up to them.

"Well, I'm glad ter see ye all again. Welcome back Hermione and Lena!" Hagrid said with smile as he cuffed Harry and Ron on the shoulders so hard that they both jerked forward, nearly dropping their mugs.

A few seconds later, Lena found herself in the middle of two red headed twin boys who both had an arm around her shoulders and were beaming down at her. "Well hello there! Not going to say hello to your wonderfully creative best friends, are you?" They said in unison.

"Especially since we have both been soo worried about you." George added jokingly, causing Lena to chuckle and roll her eyes.

"Well, I would have if I could have found my two handsomely creative best friends, but it seemed that they didn't want to be found." she replied, playing along with a smile on her face as Fred went and slung his arm over Call's shoulder and George's arm stayed around hers. Fred and George laughed along with Lena and Calla as they all joined into the conversation the others were having.

The conversations didn't last long though, considering that a few minutes later, Professor McGonagall stood up and announced to the whole school that exams had been cancelled as a school treat. Hermione let out a cry of disappointment while everyone else cheered loudly, including Lena and Calla. Next, Dumbledore stood up and made the announcement that Professor Lockhart would not be able to return to Hogwarts to teach next year. Everyone, even some of the teachers cheered due to that announcement.

Amidst all the cheering and clapping, Lena spotted Draco with Crabbe, Goyle and some other of his friends, She smiled at him and her hand unconsciously found it's way over to her bracelet. _Thanks for the bracelet, Draco. Also, Calla told me about how you came to visit me, thanks for that too._ she said in his mind and chuckled as she saw his cheeks redden slightly and look over at her.

Draco pouted and narrowed his eyes at her as his cheeks faded back to their regular color. _Whatever… I would have rather preferred to give it to you in person though. You really should have been more careful, Lena._ He replied while smirking, causing Lena to roll her eyes in his direction before joining the rest of her friends in their conversation.

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The rest of the summer term passed by quickly at Hogwarts with a few changes: Defense Against the Dark Arts classes had been cancelled since their professor was no longer available, and Lucius Malfoy had been fired as a School governor. The latter, in turn, caused a change in Draco Malfoy's mood, he no longer strutted through the hallways holding an air of superiority. Now, he could mostly be found looking quite sulky. He only ever looked remotely in a good mood when he was talking to Lena or playing with Ren. Quite opposite of Draco, Ginny seemed to have cheered up a lot since the entire situation was resolved. A few weeks later, it was time for them all to board the Hogwarts Express once. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, Lena, Calla, Ethan and Evie all had an entire compartment to themselves on the train ride back home.

They spent the entire train ride talking, and playing random games. Then, suddenly, Harry remembered how Percy didn't want Ginny to tell him and Ron something, so since he thought it was safe, he went and asked her. In turn, Ginny giggled and told them all about how Percy was dating Penelope Clearwater. By the time they had finished hearing about Percy's girlfriend, the train had reached the station and they had all gotten off. Together, they made their way through the Muggle gate, pausing for a few minutes as Lena ran off to Draco to give him a quick goodbye hug when nobody else was looking, and met up with their families. Then, they all went their separate ways for the summer after a long goodbye filled with promises of staying in touch.

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 **Hey there! So here is the final chapter for the second year! We've already started working on the third year story so be on the lookout guys! Don't forget to review and favorite if you like the story!**

 **~Lena Lockhart**


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